DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – The next Superintendent of the Decatur Public Schools could soon lie in the hands of a new school board after current Superintendent, Dr. Paul Fregeau, announced he was quitting.
Seven people are running to fill four vacant positions on the school board, nearly all of the candidates were shocked to hear of his departure.
“I was not expecting him to resign so quickly,” candidate Kevin Collins-Brown said. Fellow candidate JayJuan Young said he was “very surprised,” while Alana Banks told WAND News the departure of Fregeau makes the district “look unstable.”
Each of the seven candidates believe the district needs a major change and it starts with transparency and moving the district board.
"One of my biggest issues with this is recruitment and retention,” Banks said. “What teachers are going to want to stay with us if we can't even keep a superintendent?’
Candidates also expressed a desire to have a new superintendent who knows the workings of the Decatur Public Schools
“If they come in, they know the culture before and they would want to stay and see it all the way thru,” Lexy Carson said.
Banks believes the next superintendent should come from within while others simply want to see a superintendent who can retain quality teachers and administrators.
"He or she carries out the vision of the board and represents our community and students to the fullest,” candidate Krystal Johnson said. “He or she needs to be able to build a positive culture with our staff so they will come and want to stay with us.”
The qualities each board candidate wants is one that puts students first and makes Decatur the “destination district”.
Candidate Jason Dion was not available for an interview but did tell WAND News in a statement: "We need to ensure the communities concerns and needs are met when deciding who will replace Dr. Fregeau. I implore current board not to rush anybody into the position so close to the election. Moving someone into that position that quick would certainly ensure that the communities voices aren't heard."
One of the number one thing each candidate running told WAND News was they wanted to see a superintendent who would work with the board in the best interest of the students and staff.
JayJuan Young said he wanted someone who would spend “more time with the future board of education, more time with the teachers, the students” while Collins-Brown said he wanted to see a superintendent who “would bridge that gap between admin and teachers and hope they would unite the board and the community.”
While the qualities of the next superintendent are critical for the incoming board, so is changing the community’s perception of the district.
Al Schieder wants to district next leader to be familiar with budget and finance, curriculum, K-12 planning and teacher recruitments.
"I can't imagine that we will find someone fitting all of these areas perfectly, so it is finding the person who fits the most in the best way with the most experience," Schieder said.
The Decatur community will elect four new board members on April 6.
WAND News reached out to all current school board members for comment and have not hear bad.
