For new D97 hires, there’s no place like home

Jennifer Cofsky, fifth-grade teacher at Holmes Elementary School, finishes work after school on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Cofksy is a new hire at District 97. She was a student at Mann and Julian schools. | WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

Ruth Baker, a first-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary, in her classroom on Friday, Sept. 4. Ruth grew up in Oak Park and has a third-grader at Longfellow. | WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

The Julian Middle School students in Christine Wehman’s French class shouldn’t be surprised if they bump into her in line at Pete’s Fresh Market or see her swimming at Ridgeland Common.

“I’m a big stakeholder in District 97,” said Wehman at a board meeting last month. This is the first year she’ll be teaching as a full-time faculty member. Last year, she was a long-term substitute. 

“These are my people,” Wehman said of her students. “I’m really proud and excited to be on staff. I look at all these kids and I’m like, you’re my kids! I’m going to see you at the pool!”

This school year, the district hired 40 new people. Twelve of those people came from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and at least 13 have some intimate connection to D97 (through having attended themselves, through spouses, through residency and/or through their children’s attendance), according to information provided by district officials. 

It isn’t clear whether the number of new hires with community ties this year is typical. It also isn’t clear to what degree CPS’s current budget crisis has factored into the seemingly high number of CPS transplants. 

The Chicago school district is facing a severe pension shortfall, which has resulted in various credit agencies lowering its bond rating to junk status. Last month, the district announced that it would be forced to lay off hundreds of staff members and make deep cuts into classroom resources. 

In a statement, D97 officials noted it’s difficult to determine the impact that CPS’s current state of affairs might have on hiring or enrollment:

“With that said, from an employment standpoint, our district has traditionally attracted top candidates from all over, including CPS. This is a testament to the quality of the schools and professional opportunities here in Oak Park, as well as the community’s passionate belief in the importance of education and steadfast commitment to helping all children lean, grow and achieve.”

Those values, however, don’t come about accidentally. 

Alina Cordero, a sixth-grade humanities teacher at Julian Middle School, worked at CPS before coming to Oak Park this year. Cordero came highly recommended by Helen Wei, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, and Laura Smith, an assistant principal at Julian. That’s because Wei and Smith were principal and assistant principal, respectively, at a CPS school Cordero once worked for.

But Cordero’s Oak Park connection runs even deeper than her professional affiliations. She was a student at Hatch Elementary and Emerson Jr. High (now Brooks Middle School). 

Jennifer Cofsky, 24, said the idea that she would devote the rest of her life to teaching was formed during her time as a student at Mann Elementary and Julian Middle schools. 

“Naturally, I always gravitated toward a more nurturing profession and I had such great relationships with my teachers when I was growing up that I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else,” said the Oak Park and River Forest High School alumna. 

Cofsky, whose father is District 200 board member Tom Cofksy, graduated from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in DePaul University’s reading specialist program. She taught at Holmes Elementary last year as a replacement for first-grade and third-grade teachers on maternity leave. This is her first year as a full-time instructor with her own classroom.

Although the district doesn’t explicitly credit applicants who attended its schools, Cofsky said there is a teacher at Mann who reaches out to former students who are pursuing careers in education at the district. 

Ruth Barker embodies the full cycle of support that some say makes Oak Park schools special. She grew up in Oak Park, went off to Africa to work in the Peace Corps and moved to New York for two years before coming back to Oak Park to teach in the district she loves. 

“When I’ve been out in different places, I always talk about Oak Park and always knew I wanted to come back,” she said. “For me, it’s definitely something special.”

The 34-year-old, who was hired as a full-time teacher this year after substituting for the last year and a half, has a third-grader at Longfellow. She said she’s always been stimulated by Oak Park’s diversity and its rich sense of community and belonging — something, she said, that is integral to the learning experience.

“I think it’s just really positive to be part of the community and to be able to see the parents and the kids when you’re at the grocery store and at the park,” she said. “That really helps build community. It’s really cool. Not only are you their teacher, but the kids see you around. They say, ‘Oh, she’s my neighbor. She’s just like me.'” 

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com