3 principals get 2-year contracts at Lyons SD 103

By Steve Metsch

Saying it’s important to keep good people, the Lyons School

District 103 board uncharacteristically approved two-year contracts for three

principals Monday night.

Several other officials also received two-year deals.

Board President Marge Hubacek said it’s the first time, to

her knowledge, the district has approved two-year contracts for principals.

The two-year deals run through the 2020-21 school year.

They are for Costello School Principal Mark Ankiewicz, who

will be paid $99,910; Edison School Principal Dr. Jan Bernard, $144,532; and

George Washington Middle School Principal Donald Jones, $110,000.

Ankiewicz and Jones are completing their first year as

principal.

{{more}}

Each salary is for the first year, with the second to be

determined, Hubacek said.

“We don’t want to lose our good principals,” Hubacek said.

“It’s based on recommendations from the (interim) superintendents.”

Also approved for just one year was Home School Principal

Kristen Smith for $95,790. A group of supporters applauded that pact.

Two-year deals were also approved for Rubi Ortiz and Gary

Wheaton, assistant principals at Washington Middle School, $82,400 each;

business manager Dr. Sherry Reynolds, salary to be determined; and curriculum

director Darek Naglak, $115,000.

Just a week ago, board members said it was unusual for

principals to be offered two-year deals.

“If they take a two-year contract after they’re tenured,

they lose their tenure. Sometimes they don’t want to do that,” Hubacek said.

She does not think Monday’s action sets a precedent for the

still-to-be-hired principals for Lincoln and Robinson schools.

“I would not anticipate that. Usually, a first-year

principal gets a one-year contract,” Hubacek said.

Dr. Robert Madonia, one of two acting superintendents in the

district, said the two-year deals for principals are based on the jobs they’ve

done.

“We don’t offer contracts to any principals that don’t have

good performance,” Madonia said.

Joanne Schaeffer, part of the board majority, voted for every

contract except student services director Gregory Bublitz, one-year at

$117,420; and maintenance director Mark Galba, one-year, $90,640.

In rare moment, she and Jorge Torres, of the board minority,

both voted “no” on those deals. Torres voted against 11 of 13 contracts.

“I didn’t vote the same way (as Torres). I voted my heart,

my gut, my intellect, whatever. I have some reservations,” Schaeffer said.

Torres’ “yes” votes were for Reynolds and increasing the

hourly rate paid translators from $18 to $25. Hubacek said that’s more in line

with what’s paid at nearby districts.

“That $18 has been around for years. Some schools pay twice

that. We’ll do this in increments, I think, but we wanted to be fair,” Hubacek

said.

The board voted to not renew the contract of Caitlin Moore,

a non-tenured teacher at Washington Middle School. A reason was not disclosed.

After hiring Mindy McMahon last week for $550 a day to be

interim principal at Lincoln School, the board on Monday night decided to

bridge a salary gap.

The board by a 5-1 vote agreed to pay Andrea Maslan, who had

been interim principal from Feb. 14 to March 18, an extra $50 for each of the

25 days she worked. That total is $1,250. Maslan had been paid $500 per day.

The Lincoln and Robinson jobs have been posted, Madonia

said: “We’d hope to have someone in place by late spring. All the contracts

start July 1.”

Incoming Supt. Kristopher Rivera will be heavily involved in

the process and make recommendations to the board regarding which person to

hire, Madonia said.

During public comments, Christine Colucci, a second-grade

teacher at Lincoln School, said that after attending several school board

meetings, she is “concerned about the present state of mind of all participants

invested in the future of District 103 students.”

She said that at the start of each school year, she talks

with her students “about teamwork and how everyone needs to be working together

toward a common goal.”

“I also speak the same message to parents. Tonight, I’d like

to remind everyone here that we are all on the same team with one common goal.

“That goal is raising and educating respectful and

successful students. I’ve heard this goal spoken in words but I don’t always

see it in actions,” Colucci told the board.

Madonia said a special meeting for parents will be held from

7 to 9 p.m. April 25 at Washington School. The meeting will be about how to

help children manage stress, anxiety, grief and loss.

“We’d like to proactively address that. We’ll have our

social workers involved,” Madonia said. “If a child loses their grandparent,

it’s very difficult for them if they don’t know how to cope with that.”

Fliers will be sent home with students to remind parents

about the meeting.

Transition work with new Supt. Rivera “has gone extremely

well,” Madonia said. Rivera is visiting each school to meet with parents.

Rivera visited Edison School on Monday.

The school board’s next meeting is on April 8 at Washington

School.

Ê