Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Incumbents Michelle Smith, Rod Westfall return to the board, joined by newly elected Bill Dargan and Bill Slabich Jr.
Two outgoing Plainfield School District 202 Board of Education members bid farewell Tuesday as two brand-new board members were sworn in. With incumbents Rod Westfall and Michelle Smith rejoining the board, new members Bill Slabich Jr. and Bill Dargan officially became part of the school board. They join current members Kevin Kirberg, Greg Nichols and board president Roger Bonuchi. As a brand-new board member, Slabich said his biggest concern is “how we’re going to get the most out of the lack of funds we have and give the best education for the kids,” he said, adding the state funding situation is “the scariest part.” Dargan, who ran for the board in 2011 before being elected last month, said his focus is on the students. “Everything we …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Plainfield School District 202 superintendent explains the changes that are coming as a result of the transition to Common Core State Standards.
Guest column from Dr. John Harper, superintendent of Plainfield School District 202: Our elementary and middle school students are once again engaged in the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). The ISAT (and its high school counterpart, the Prairie State Achievement Exam) is important because it gauges the progress of our third- through eighth-graders in meeting the state’s learning expectations. It is also important because the state then shares that progress publicly so parents and taxpayers know how their schools are doing. The “public” part of the ISAT process is sometimes challenging because the test itself is very complicated and hard to understand for many people who do not work in public education. With that in mind I want …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Plainfield schools will host events in February, March and April for parents who want to learn more about the new national Common Core State Standards.
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Tuesday, January 29
Last fall we started a school-year long project to inform and educate the community about the new national Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for learning, which will be implemented starting next school year. The CCSS will be one of the most significant changes to public education in many years. We will continue this important work by hosting four Community Forums in February, March and April. We invite all of our families to attend at least one of these forums, which will be held at: At these Community Forums our Curriculum and Instruction department will present a general overview of the new CCSS, discuss what we’re doing to prepare both our teachers and students now, provide resources for families and answer questions. Illinois is one …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Lane Abrell will become superintendent upon John Harper's retirement in 2014.
The Plainfield School District 202 school board on Thursday announced it has selected former Plainfield High School - Central Campus principal Lane Abrell to succeed Superintendent John Harper. Abrell will begin serving as an associate superintendent for a year-long transition period from July 1, 2013 until Harper’s retirement in July 2014. An Oswego resident, Abrell will make a base salary of $168,000 in 2013-14 during the transition period. The district will cover his salary, in part, through about $158,000 in savings this year by hiring newer staff members at a lower salary to replace newly retired administrators, district officials said. According to District 202 documents, Harper's base salary for the 2011-12 school year was $270,446…
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Associate superintendent will “shadow” Supt. John Harper for the 2013-14 school year before taking the reins.
Two months after announcing its search for a new superintendent, the District 202 Board of Education will meet tomorrow in special session to appoint John Harper’s successor. Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. The new associate superintendent will “shadow” current superintendent Harper for the 2013-14 school year and take over the role when Harper retires in July 2014, according to Director of Community Relations Tom Hernandez. READ: DISTRICT 202 TO HIRE NEW SUPERINTENDENT BY DECEMBER In September, the board announced it was inviting area superintendents to apply for the position. Calling it a “very limited search,” board president Roger Bonuchi said it was important to the board to “pick someone who is …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
District 202 superintendent's community column.
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
The national election cycle has just ended. Inevitably, there is much change on the horizon for public education as the dust settles and the President and Congress look to the future. One of the most significant changes will be the transition next year to the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for learning. Illinois is one of more than 45 states that have adopted and will implement the new CCSS, which are national learning expectations that align with international learning standards. The new national CCSS will replace the current state learning standards. This will be the largest education reform to happen in decades. The CCSS emphasize developing critical thinking skills to help our students better compete and succeed in a global …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Candidate interviews scheduled as board works to select a deputy superintendent by December.
The search for a deputy superintendent — who will take over the reins when current Superintendent John Harper retires in July 2014 — continued this week with two closed-session meetings at the Plainfield Police Department. The Oct. 8 and 10 meetings were part of the superintendent search process, according to District 202 Community Relations Director Tom Hernandez. On Tuesday, the board voted to schedule several additional meetings for the purpose of conducting interviews with candidates. Special meetings are scheduled for Oct. 23 and 24 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Dr. Board president Roger Bonuchi told Patch that the search is being conducted locally, focusing on superintendents in nearby school districts. Several area …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Plainfield School District is staying local in its search for a deputy superintendent. The new administrator will fill Supt. John Harper’s shoes when he retires in July 14.
The Plainfield School District is hoping to recruit a new superintendent from a field of local candidates. Board president Roger Bonuchi said the district has sent letters inviting superintendents from area districts to throw their hats into the ring. The candidates will vie for a new deputy superintendent position. Whoever is chosen will ultimately replace longtime Superintendent John Harper, who is set to retire in July 2014. “We consider it a very limited search,” said Bonuchi. Sign up for Plainfield Patch's newsletter and breaking news alerts. “One of the reasons was that we knew we wanted to pick someone who is from Illinois, who is local to Will County,” Bonuchi added, saying board members want to make sure that whoever replaces …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Board announces it will hire a deputy superintendent who will take Harper's place as he retires after 33 years with the Plainfield School District.
The Plainfield School District 202 board on Monday announced it will begin its search for a new superintendent to succeed Dr. John Harper, who plans to retire in July 2014. Board president Roger Bonuchi said the district will use a succession plan to help ease the transition to the new superintendent. The board will ultimately decide on a deputy superintendent who will then become superintendent once Harper retires. Sign up for Plainfield Patch's daily newsletter and email alerts. As part of the process, board members have invited a pool of candidates to meet with them in the coming month. They will then form a committee of parents, community and staff members and another committee of administrators who will interview the candidates and …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
District 202 Superintendent John Harper's first monthly column of the 2012-13 school year.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
We start the 2012-13 school year with same high hopes and expectations for great teaching and learning for all of our students that makes our schools so strong and vibrant. However we also begin the year with the same financial challenge which has plagued us for the last several years: unreliable state funding. Unfortunately to make matters worse Governor Quinn wants to shift teacher pension payments, which the state now pays, to local school districts to help clean up the state’s own financial mess. Shifting teacher pensions to local districts would cost District 202 $10 million or more each year. District 202 is doing everything we can to keep this from happening. In July, a group of suburban educators and elected officials including …
Jax
8:48 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
How about he works to align his million dollar plus salary and pay his teachers better..This guy is a joke so glad no longer in Plainfield more ›