By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a special meeting on Sept. 15 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St. Board member Jim Collins was absent from the meeting. There were no public comments. The open-session portion of the meeting lasted only about 10 minutes.
Board president Kara Caforio stated that the board would approve an agreement with an interim executive director of communications and public relations. Bev Redmond, the district’s executive director of communications and public relations for three years, recently left the position and is no longer with the district.
Before the board voted unanimously to approve the agreement with the interim executive director of communications and public relations, Caforio stated that she wanted to “put a few facts out there.” Caforio then said that District 205 currently has three assistant superintendents and one associate superintendent. She added that the district has 18 administrators. She said the board currently has a contract with one consultant, Dr. Linda Yonke, who served as interim superintendent before Dr. Keisha Campbell became District 205’s superintendent this summer.
Consultant with reported grievances has resigned
Caforio added that Dr. Jarvis Sanford had resigned as a consultant with the district. At the board meeting on Aug. 24, the board voted unanimously to approve a contract with Sanford for the current 2021-22 school year. Sanford is a former colleague of Campbell at the Academy for Urban School Leadership. An online search showed that the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association aired grievances about Sanford’s treatment of principals, and that Sanford, a managing director at the Academy for Urban School Leadership, was under investigation.
Caforio also stated that the district still has an administrative vacancy in its teaching and learning department, and that Campbell will continue to assess the needs of the district and propose staffing recommendations.
Faith Behr to serve as interim director of communications
After Caforio finished her statement, Campbell said she was recommending Faith Behr to serve as the district’s interim executive director of communications and public relations. Campbell stated that Behr has more than 20 years of experience in the communications field and has worked for two large high school districts. The district’s contract with Behr runs through Dec. 22 but may be terminated at any time by either party. Behr will be compensated $120 an hour and will not work for the district more than 375 hours. She will not receive any other compensation such as health insurance, sick leave, vacation or paid holidays.
Campbell stated that the district will complete a thorough search for a highly qualified permanent candidate for the role of executive director of communications and public relations.
Board member Karen Stuefen stated that the position is a critical one for the district, and that it’s important the district find the right person to replace Redmond.
The board held a regular meeting earlier this week on Tuesday, Sept. 21. The board will hold its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
