Bonnie Oberman will be stepping down in June 2016 from her position as Chicago office director of the education nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves. She joined Facing History Chicago’s advisory board in 1994 and became office director in 2001. During her tenure, she expanded a partnership with CPS and created a separate partnership with DePaul University’s College of Education. The organization is planning a search for her successor.
Earlier this summer, the Chicago Sun-Times’ deputy editorial page editor, Kate Grossman, joined the University of Chicago Institute of Politics as a director under political strategist David Axelrod. She held a fellowship there earlier this year. The Sun-Times is planning a search for her successor.
Two CPS high school seniors have joined the Illinois State Board of Education’s Student Advisory Council. Christopher Kim, of Northside College Prep, and Xiao Mei, of Jones College Prep, will join 15 other Illinois high school students to work with the board and state superintendent in providing student perspectives and concerns on state education policies.
The School Board also approved a new administrative hire. Cheryl Colston was approved as the acting general counsel for the law department. Colston will receive a yearly salary of $145,000 and a monthly 10 percent bonus. The board voted to appoint an acting general counsel at last month’s meeting. That means that the person who was reportedly up for the position, Ronald Marmer, was apparently not approved. Marmer would have been a controversial choice because he had donated nearly $30,000 to CPS CEO Forrest Claypool’s previous campaigns and has no public sector experience, according to the Sun-Times.
Four schools get new contract principals: Turon Ivy, a former principal at Ames Middle School before it became a Marine military academy, became principal at George Leland Elementary; Sean McNichols was selected as principal at Clissold Elementary after working as assistant principal at John C. Dore Elementary; Jaime Sanchez became principal at North River Elementary after serving as principal at Otis Elementary; and Rashad Tally was chosen as principal at Donald L. Morrill Math & Science School after being assistant principal at Bennett Elementary.
In addition, six educators obtained two-year contracts as interim principals: Terea Peoples-Brown became interim principal at Emmett Till Math & Science Academy after serving as assistant principal at Park Manor Elementary; Myron Hester was selected as interim principal at Julian High after working as contract principal at Kozminski Community Academy; Ramona Fannings became interim principal at Harlan Community Academy High after being assistant principal at Simeon Career Academy; Richard Smith became interim principal at Fenger Academy High after working as the district’s administrator of Transformation. Kimbreana Taylor-Goode was selected as interim principal at Langston Hughes Elementary after serving as assistant principal at Bradwell School of Excellence; and Larry Varn was selected as interim principal at Hirsch Metropolitan High after being the resident principal at Peace and Education Coalition High.
Four principals were retained as contract principals: Lennette Coleman at Ariel Community Academy Elementary; Michael Heidkamp at Nathanael Green Elementary; Tara Shelton at South Loop Elementary; and Timothy Devine at Walter Payton College Prep. Brigitte Swenson remains as interim principal at Peace and Education Coalition.
Finally, two interim principals obtained contracts at their schools: Lashae Jenkins-Merrell at Park Manor Elementary and Takeshi White-James at Avalon Park Elementary.