Elgin's U-46 school board chooses Chicago administrator as new ...

Awful. Awful. AWFUL. You mean to tell me this man was the BEST available? There wasn't a candidate from SUCCESSFUL school district that wanted this high-paying, benefit-rich, job? No assistant supt. from Palatine, Wheaton, Deerfield, St. Charles, etc.???? The state MUST take this district over from this board. MUST!

This brings Elgin one step closer to an all-time low in reputation. Want a good education for YOUR kids? Don't come to U-46.

For those who don't know, U-46 is a lot more than just Elgin Schools. It is the second largest school district in the state. The woman Mr. Torres is replacing had all of the background Terry D spoke about. She did little for the school district, but provided for herself nicely.
I have two boys in U-46 schools. In their combined 15 years in this district, there was only one teacher that I consider unqualified. For the most part, the teachers in this district care about their students. They work with those who need extra help and challenge those who learn more easily.
There is a high percentage of non-english speaking in this district. Perhaps, Mr. Torres will be an example to them that they can achieve.
After the failed Connie Neale experience, I wish Mr. Torres well. This search went on for a very long time, with parental involvement. We will only have to wait to see. For my kids' education, I hope they have made the right choice.

give the guy a chance. maybe he can improve the safety in U-46

As long as they require his primary residence to be in state, he will be off to a better start than his predecessor.

More on Jose Torres
By Chris Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 3, 2002
SAN YSIDRO – San Ysidro School District trustees have asked former superintendent Grace Kojima to run the district until a permanent replacement is hired after the November elections.
Trustees voted unanimously Monday night, with trustee Ernestine Jones absent, to offer Kojima a six-month contract that would start Monday.
Kojima said yesterday she will accept the offer but wants to find out more about who her top assistants would be before she does.
"I really think it (the district) needs to be stabilized, and I can't do it all. I need some help," Kojima said.
She said she had no preconditions for returning, but she preferred that assistant superintendent for personnel Alice de la Torre and interim Superintendent Christine Aranda stay on to help her. They both plan to retire within weeks.
Kojima, 65, a resident of Coronado, was the San Ysidro superintendent from July 1998 until October, when she retired after a 42-year career as an educator. Since her retirement, she has continued to be active in San Ysidro through the Women's Club and the chamber of commerce.
Last month, the board fired her successor, Jose Torres. The district hired Torres in October after a national search. He started the job in November and within a month trustees were on the verge of firing him. Last month, the board removed him. Trustees said he wasn't a good fit for the district and his authoritarian style didn't mesh with his subordinates. Torres said
the board disagreed with the reforms he proposed to turn around a district that has some of the county's lowest test scores.
Trustee Jean Romero proposed bringing back Kojima.
"I'm happy about it because we can continue with the operation of the district in kind of an organized manner. It was our only option at the time that was feasible," she said.
Romero said that it made sense to bring in an experienced hand to oversee preparation for the new school year, including principal and teacher hiring and teacher training.
The board is offering Kojima the same pay as Torres, whose contract called for a $125,000 annual salary.
Board members Yolanda Hernandez, Romero and Juan Trujillo are up for re-election this year. Romero said the board decided it would be best not to hire a permanent superintendent until after the elections, so the new board can choose the next leader of the district, which has 5,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade pupils at seven schools.

Alex wrote:

More on Jose Torres
By Chris Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 3, 2002
SAN YSIDRO – San Ysidro School District trustees have asked former superintendent Grace Kojima to run the district until a permanent replacement is hired after the November elections.
Trustees voted unanimously Monday night, with trustee Ernestine Jones absent, to offer Kojima a six-month contract that would start Monday.
Kojima said yesterday she will accept the offer but wants to find out more about who her top assistants would be before she does.
"I really think it (the district) needs to be stabilized, and I can't do it all. I need some help," Kojima said.
She said she had no preconditions for returning, but she preferred that assistant superintendent for personnel Alice de la Torre and interim Superintendent Christine Aranda stay on to help her. They both plan to retire within weeks.
Kojima, 65, a resident of Coronado, was the San Ysidro superintendent from July 1998 until October, when she retired after a 42-year career as an educator. Since her retirement, she has continued to be active in San Ysidro through the Women's Club and the chamber of commerce.
Last month, the board fired her successor, Jose Torres. The district hired Torres in October after a national search. He started the job in November and within a month trustees were on the verge of firing him. Last month, the board removed him. Trustees said he wasn't a good fit for the district and his authoritarian style didn't mesh with his subordinates. Torres said
the board disagreed with the reforms he proposed to turn around a district that has some of the county's lowest test scores.
Trustee Jean Romero proposed bringing back Kojima.
"I'm happy about it because we can continue with the operation of the district in kind of an organized manner. It was our only option at the time that was feasible," she said.
Romero said that it made sense to bring in an experienced hand to oversee preparation for the new school year, including principal and teacher hiring and teacher training.
The board is offering Kojima the same pay as Torres, whose contract called for a $125,000 annual salary.
Board members Yolanda Hernandez, Romero and Juan Trujillo are up for re-election this year. Romero said the board decided it would be best not to hire a permanent superintendent until after the elections, so the new board can choose the next leader of the district, which has 5,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade pupils at seven schools.

Sounds like just the guy needed for the job: stir it up and p-ss off the right people. Sounds good to me!

With issues facing schools these days, maybe an authoritarian is a good idea. Since this old position was in California, perhaps, he was just too conservative for them.

Terry D wrote:

Awful. Awful. AWFUL. You mean to tell me this man was the BEST available? There wasn't a candidate from SUCCESSFUL school district that wanted this high-paying, benefit-rich, job? No assistant supt. from Palatine, Wheaton, Deerfield, St. Charles, etc.???? The state MUST take this district over from this board. MUST!
This brings Elgin one step closer to an all-time low in reputation. Want a good education for YOUR kids? Don't come to U-46.

I don't know... Based on this article I'm not impressed with either his educational credentials nor his educational experiences. I agree with Terry D., why doesn't this job attract a candidate with a solid record of achievements and success in turning around a school district. Coming from the Chicago School District can't be considered as that kind of experience.

Worse, he sounds like another Obama..."oh I started out poor, had such a hard life and struggled with English and schools in New York and Puerto Rico..." Is this supposed to inspire all the 41,000 kids in the district...are they all poor, underpriviliged, and looking for a strong leader to inspire them to achieve...are there no parents or other adults in the district that can provide this to the kids?

Why does it take a superintendent to influence and inspire kids (most of them will never know of or even see him during their time there) in my mind his responsibility is managing finances and personnel. Given his so called strong leadership and people skills this is about managing the teachers more than it is about the kids.

congratulations to mr. torres

Torres has been dumped from almost every school district that he has worked for. He is known as a kiss butt up, kick ass down administrator. Elgin be careful.

Please delete and or ignore the previous post. After further looking into the matter, it looks like Jose is really trying to do a good job, and tried to do a good job at CPS. I wish him the best, and regret my previous post.

Terry D wrote:

Awful. Awful. AWFUL. You mean to tell me this man was the BEST available? There wasn't a candidate from SUCCESSFUL school district that wanted this high-paying, benefit-rich, job? No assistant supt. from Palatine, Wheaton, Deerfield, St. Charles, etc.???? The state MUST take this district over from this board. MUST!
This brings Elgin one step closer to an all-time low in reputation. Want a good education for YOUR kids? Don't come to U-46.

Why don't we hear a little bit more about you, since you seem to think you're better than him. Your comment seems to be racially motivated. Why don't you give some FACTS, maybe I'll take your comments seriously.

Anyone working as an educator or administrator in public education has my respect. Relative to the private sector, the pay and benefits (even with summers off for non-administrators) aren't that great given the requirements for advanced degrees. Resources available to do your job - especially in poorer districts, are tight, and 5 percent of the students and parents account for 95% of your problems.

If Mr. Torres and his staff can get parents engaged with their kids education, they'll do great.

Good luck sir.