On June 30, Dr. Edward Condon will retire as superintendent of River Forest School District 90. He’ll be replaced by Janice Pavelonis from Carbondale Elementary District 95.
Condon discussed his accomplishments at District 90, the Board of Education’s approval of a new four-year teacher contract in March, and what’s next for him in an interview with Wednesday Journal, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Can you provide some general background about your career prior to joining District 90?
I worked in the state of Virginia as a social studies teacher, high school assistant principal and middle school principal before moving back to Chicagoland in 2003. Then I worked as a principal at Butler Junior High School in Oak Brook before beginning as the superintendent for River Forest District 90 in 2011.
Do you recall your first day on the job at District 90? Were you nervous, excited, etc.?
Both excited and nervous. When I arrived on the first day, I found all the summer school staff gathered in the parking lot. It turns out that the schools had lost power due to a thunderstorm the night before, and my first official action was to cancel summer school classes that day. Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be a foreboding sign of things to come.
At that time, what overarching objectives did you have for the district? Do you feel like you’ve accomplished those objectives?
Throughout my service in District 90, I have been dedicated to four foundational goals: To work collaboratively with the faculty, staff and administration to build consistently on our foundation of academic excellence for all students; to implement programs and curricula focused on belongingness and the development of the whole child; to foster open, transparent communication; and to maintain financial stability and remain good stewards of the taxpayers’ investment in our schools.
Since the district is committed to continuous improvement, the work to accomplish these goals was always ongoing. I am extremely thankful to the many individuals who have been instrumental to our continued progress on each of these goals over time.
What have been the most satisfying parts of this job, where you feel like you made a big difference?
It has been satisfying to ensure that faculty and staff have the resources that are needed to do their work, including quality curricula, professional development, appropriate instructional materials, safe and clean classrooms, effective school leaders, social-emotional supports and time to work and plan collaboratively.
By far, the most important element in our work is the quality and authenticity of the relationship between the educator and student. This is the greatest prerequisite to success in teaching and learning. At heart, the role of school administration is to ensure that teachers have what they need to do their job well and fully. I am proud of the amazing faculty and staff for the way they accomplish that, and of our administrative team for the way they set the table. We are also fortunate to have a dedicated and responsive board of education leaders who support excellence and keep the needs of students, staff, families and the larger community at the forefront of their governance decisions.
How challenging were the recent teacher contract negotiations for you?
The reality is that teachers deserve to be paid markedly more than they earn in our country, especially considering the importance of their role in fostering a well-educated, democratic society. In River Forest, our supportive community has funded outstanding schools for a very long time, and it is critical that we invest these resources responsibly to support excellent schools moving forward. Finding the balance between acknowledging the extraordinary importance and value of our outstanding teaching staff and the need to preserve finite assets for future generations is not easy. However, I am pleased that the final agreement provided a teacher salary adjustment to help us remain competitive while not creating an unsustainable financial burden for the community.
What’s next for Dr. Edward Condon?
I am looking forward to traveling, enjoying more time with family and spending fewer evenings away from home. I have been granted the opportunity to collaborate on some education-related projects that are meaningful to me. These include coordinating mentoring supports for new superintendents in West Cook County and developing a leadership cohort for educators from backgrounds that are currently under-represented in school administration roles in Illinois.