Ripples from some seriously dark years at District 209 continue to be felt more than a year after the Proviso Township High School board ousted James Henderson, the chaos superintendent.
Today the Review interviews three of the four D209 teachers who filed a lawsuit against the district in March 2023 after Henderson brought allegations against them and sought their dismissal. Three board members publicly opposed the superintendent with a bare majority backing him.
The suit was settled last July and the teachers were reinstated with back pay and their suspensions expunged from their personnel files.
But the residue of those unnecessarily hostile actions remains, with those teachers expressing continued worries about their status in the district, a lack of trust they feel in their interactions, and frustration that a still-divided board failed to hire a permanent superintendent after a long search.
We understand those feelings and we know that this historically troubled district cannot actually heal or move intentionally forward until its leadership is secured and a stronger board is in charge. It may take next spring’s school board election to accomplish that necessary step.
After a bitter teachers strike, which Henderson fomented, these teachers also raise concerns about the current stance of its teachers union in relation to the interim administration. They perceive it may be too cozy.
We do not know the details of that important relationship. That there must always be some level of adversarial tug between a union and management is natural and can be healthy. The mismanagement of the district by Henderson, and the acquiescence of the board majority, took that relationship to a bitter and nonproductive place.
The current head of the union, John Wardisiani, says the union remains “unwavering” in its fight for better working conditions. And he says headway is being made “especially under the new district leadership.” We assume the union head, like all other serious players in this drama, want that leadership to be permanent, with a student-focused plan and a foundational understanding of the power of teachers.
In the meantime, D209 must be ready to strive toward a working relationship between its teachers and its administration and board that is respectful, honest and genuinely student-centered.
A calendar for the whole town
Forest Park’s public library has evolved over the past decade to become an essential collaborator in all things Forest Park. Like a lot of public libraries, it had its more insular eras where it was pretty much centered on only what occurred within its four walls.
Now with a more progressive board and a succession of innovative administrators, our library is now a key hub in the orbit of Forest Park. We say the same about our park district. And we have increasing hopes for the village government under the leadership of Administrator Rachell Entler.
Right now our enthusiasm is over the community calendar the library is building online. This single point of reference will be a big plus for a village that is ever more active and needs to be more connected and coordinated.