More than 170 candidates have applied for the Mann and Whittier principal positions, according to school District 97 officials.
District 97 Supt. Al Roberts said he hopes to have finalists for both schools presented to the Board of Education by May. The Mann post is open after current principal Sam LeDeaux resigned in a controversy last month. The Whittier post was previously open with Carol Young’s scheduled retirement this year as principal.
Candidates applying for Whittier were also offered the chance to apply for Mann, Roberts said. D97 spokesperson Chris Jasculca said the next principals for both schools will be selected from that consolidated pool of candidates.
Roberts said he’s looking for candidates who are strong instructional leaders who can effectively manage their buildings. Roberts added that he’s looking to continue the district’s transition into more of a “school system.” Roberts stressed that he still wants principals to run their own buildings but wants to move the district away from what he saw upon his hiring as superintendent in 2010.
“When I arrived, there were clear signs — and I think our principals would tell you this — but there were clear signs that we had 10 fiefdoms. And I’m not looking to remove the autonomy at the building level. But we must become the highest quality school system as possible. And that means that we work through the vision that we establish together, and in fact the community had established that vision prior to me being here,” Roberts said, referring to the district’s strategic plan created in 2007.
Roberts noted that the plan identified the need to move away from the “fiefdom model.” Teaching and academic subjects also needed to be more integrated, Roberts noted as outlined in the plan. He said his principals are on board with the vision. Still, Roberts acknowledged that he and LeDeaux didn’t always see eye-to-eye.
But Roberts noted that he promoted LeDeaux as principal and wouldn’t have done so if he didn’t think he was right for the job.
“Relative to Sam and myself, I can say that whatever tension that existed between us that we’re both committed to doing the best we can for the students we serve. I can say, honestly, that I like Sam, after all I recommended him to that position,” Roberts said.
He and the school board were criticized by some Mann parents on their handling of LeDeaux. Roberts acknowledged the frustration of many parents but said the district could not publicly discuss personnel matters, citing legal and state school code restrictions.
“I met with Sam. We talked about his evaluations. We talked about his performance in general,” Roberts said. “We talked about a lot of things over the course of the year. When parents were asking for us to have a public session, we literally had already said everything that could be said,” Roberts said.
“From our vantage point, it might have been even more frustrating to be at a public meeting and folks are asking questions and expecting an answer and getting the same thing we had already provided in writing. But I need to protect the privacy of staff, whether or not people like that. And in situations like this, you want to also enable future employment.
“But I can tell you that we read every email that came in. We read every letter that came in,” Roberts said. “We listened to both sides because we had some letters the other way. And we followed the drive to retain him. Obliviously, we’re not oblivious to what goes on around us, and understood the right of folks who felt strongly about it to come forward, but we can’t divulge some of the personnel issues they want divulged.”