THE NEW REGIME, EDUCATION Blondean Davis, former Subdistrict 10 superintendent, has been appointed deputy education officer. Salary: $90,000. … Adrian Beverly, former assistant superintendent of instructional support, and William McGowan, former assistant to the deputy superintendent of academic support, have been named education administrators in the office of Chief Educational Officer Lynn St. James. Salaries: $70,000 . … Jacqueline Simmons, principal of Robeson High School, has been named School Development Director, Office of Professional Development. Salary: $90,018. … W. Smith Jr., former principal of Powell Elementary, has been named physical education and recreation officer. Salary: $80,000.
THE NEW REGIME, COMMUNICATIONS Robin Matell, who has 30 years experience in crisis and employee communications, is the new director of internal communications. For the past year he has been an independent public relations consultant doing pro bono work for the school system as part of the T.I.M.E. Project. Previously, he was vice president of public relations for the American Medical Association and, before that, vice president of corporate communications for Eastern Airlines. Salary: $79,900. … Fred Lowe, former a Chicago Sun-Times business writer for nine years, is writing, editing and producing The Chicago Educator, a new employee newspaper. Salary: $70,000. … Tabrina Davis, former acting director of public affairs at Cook County Hospital, has been appointed public information officer. Salary: $65,000 . … Aurelio Huertas is the new deputy public information officer; previously, he was managing editor of City Schools, a new research-based quarterly of the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
THE NEW REGIME, FINANCE Joseph L. Simmons, former program administrator for the Illinois Development Finance Authority, has been appointed treasurer. Salary: not determined. … Vincent Chiu, former auditing supervisor in the city’s revenue department, has been named director of accounting and control. Salary: $74,000.
THE OLD REGIME Administrators who were “terminated” by the School Reform Board of Trustees this past summer include Carlos Azcoitia, director of the Office of Reform (see item below); Marjorie Branch, a deputy superintendent; Carl Brody, director of plant operation maintenance; Kevin Byrne, budget director; John Costello, lunchrooms director; Joseph Cowans, computer chief; Charley Gillispie, chief financial officer; Jodi Martinez Martin, director, Illinois Educational Service Center VI (covering Chicago only); J. Manuel Ortiz, director of warehousing and distribution; Michael Rankins, purchasing director; and Terrance Ransfer, director of facilities. Each was making more than $75,000 a year.
Other central office veterans who were fired include J. Maxey Bacchus, Barton Gallegos and Theodore Wright.
RESIGNED, RETIRED Marie Iska, principal, Andersen Elementary; John Jenkins, principal Esmond Elementary; Robert L. Johnson, assistant superintendent; William Kamberis, principal, Prussing Elementary; John McCormick, principal, Bennett Elementary; Patrick Noonan, principal, Richards Vocational; Willie Richie, principal, Carver High; Allen Smith, Subdistrict 4 superintendent; Evelyn Wright, principal, Daniel Hale Williams Elementary.
MOVING IN/ON Carlos Azcoitia, director of the Office of Reform and principal of Spry Elementary School, has joined the Chicago Panel on School Policy as director of policy studies. … Dion Miller Perez has joined the staff of CityWide Coalition for School Reform as community organizer. … Janet Lyons, former administrative associate at the Donors Forum of Chicago, is joining the Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform as the office manager. … Nancy Brandt, manager of education programs for the Bank of America Illinois, is retiring. The hands-on part of her job with the Orr School Network will be taken over by the DePaul University Center for Urban Education, headed by Barbara Radner. The bank will continue to provide funding and personnel for the network. Brandt will continue as co-chair of the Education Group of the Donors Forum.
AWARDS Helen Arnold-Massey, a physical education teacher at Nicholson Specialty School, is one of five recipients in Illinois and 150 nationwide to receive a 1995 Milken National Educator Award, which carries a $25,000 prize. The California-based Milken Family Foundation sponsors the program with state school boards. … Alice Mulberry, Latin teacher at Ray Elementary and Kenwood High, has been selected as the 1995 Illinois Latin Teacher of the Year.
GOLDEN APPLE Dec. 1 is the deadline to nominate Chicago-area 6th-, 7th and 8th-grade teachers for the 11th Annual Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching. To receive a nomination form or for more information, call (312) 407-0006 or write the Golden Apple Foundation, 8 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60603-3318.
NEW TUTORING PROGRAM The Community Renewal Society and Parents United for Responsible Education (P.U.R.E.) are launching Project Aspire to tutor children at schools on the city’s educational “watch list.” To volunteer or for more information, contact Julie Woestehoff of P.U.R.E. at (312) 907-4727.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY Nov. 15 is the deadline to register for Columbia College’s one-day conference, “Cultures, Communities and the Arts: Building Bridges Through Collaboration.” The conference will be held Dec. 2 at the college, 600 S. Michigan. The cost is $10. For more information, call (312) 663-1600 ext. 219.
HOOP DREAMS At 8 p.m. Nov. 15, WTTW-TV Channel 11 will air the award-winning documentary “Hoop Dreams,” which follows the lives of two inner-city African-American high school students from Chicago who dream of playing in the NBA. Chicago has been selected to participate in the Chrysler Hoop Dreams Challenge, an educational outreach program that uses curriculum that complements the documentary. For more information, contact Francine Pope of DePaul University at (312) 362-8658.
GETTING IN PRINT How can you reach reporters who cover Chicago schools? Meet four journalists who can tell you how at a brown-bag forum for school activists: Linda Lenz of CATALYST, Fred Lowe of the Chicago Educator, Dion Haynes of the Chicago Tribune and Annie Sweeney of the Daily Southtown. The forum will be held on Nov. 16 at noon in Room 806 at Columbia College, 623 S. Wabash. For more information, call Veronica Drake of the Community Media Workshop at (312) 663-3225.