GOV, meet the new superintendent [D209]

On Monday the District 209 (Proviso Township High Schools) board of education voted to offer Stan Fields the position of superintendent. There was some concern about whether this was a good faith offer since Fields had time remaining on his contract at Mundelein HS.


Daily Herald (Russell Lissau) confirms Fields is leaving Mundelein for Proviso. It's also a good piece for learning what Fields critics had to say about him.

Fields’ tenure at Mundelein has been fraught with controversy, virtually from its start. Shortly after being hired, he restructured the administration as a cost-saving move and banned junk-food sales on campus. He also took heat from the community for a controversial proposal to overhaul the school’s curriculum and graduation requirements, a plan that eventually was scaled back.

Fields also has been criticized by residents and staff members for several failed initiatives, including a proposal to replace local security workers with an outside firm and a plan for scoreboards with corporate sponsors.

Mundelein Review (Linda Blaser) also mentions an open meetings violation.

I'm warming up to Fields already. Robert Libka, the outgoing CEO, was exceedingly passive in his approach to running the district. He waited to be told what to do. You may not agree with Stan Fields, but it seems clear he's a man of action. He's going to formulate how to improve the schools and then he's going to implement it.

And the people in the Welch-led majority deserve some credit. The minority doesn't think the best candidate was hired, but at least Libka wasn't hired. Either board member Shirley Madlock showed some resolve under pressure to resist hiring Libka or the four of them came to the realization that Libka just wasn't going to be a strong superintendent.

For more info see Forest Park Review (Bob Skolnik).