Palatine Dist. 15 interim boss discusses moving forward

Scott Thompson's plan is to act like he's going to be around for a long time.

The Palatine Township Elementary District 15 interim superintendent's job will be difficult, given the controversy in recent months.

Thompson, 53, is dealing with the fallout over the abrupt departure of former Superintendent Dan Lukich, who last month was given a $185,000 severance package as part of a forced resignation.

There's also the $27 million loan District 15 is asking voters to approve in a November referendum, an issue forced to the ballot because 7,500 people voiced opposition to the plan through a well-organized petition drive.

Thompson, who for six years led Antioch Elementary District 34, sat down with the Daily Herald to discuss the challenges ahead, community outreach efforts and his optimism about the future. Here's an edited version of the interview.

Q. What are your initial impressions of District 15?

A. The people I've come in contact with are very high quality, committed, talented professionals. District 15 is one of three school districts in the U.S. to earn the prestigious Baldridge award (in 2003), which means you're an institution of continuous improvement and dedicated to excellence. I'd like for us to continue to look for ways to be on the cutting edge of education so the tradition that we enjoy can be carried into the future.

Q. District 15 is going to spend down its reserves by $5 million this year and the trend will continue if nothing changes. How will you address that?

A. Costs are going to continue to rise and I don't think our revenue is going to keep up with that. - We're going to create a five-year financial projection and start making some recommendations about how to keep the district in a financially good position. We'll try to be careful with taxpayer dollars but still deliver the best education possible. We'll always try to make the cuts where they'll affect kids and programs the least.

Q. What direction has the board of education given you?

A. To start, connect with the community and improve communication so that there is information flowing more freely and abundantly. We're sending out a recap of what goes on at the board meetings. We just did our first one. And we're hoping our bandwidth will be increased in the near future so we can have recordings of the board meetings available the next day online. (Assistant Superintendent) Jim Garwood and I are working on a master communications plan.

Q. And how are you connecting with the community?

A. I've made the circuit, meeting with mayors, police chiefs and some civic organizations including playing in the BRIDGE charity golf outing. - I'm trying to go out and be the spokesperson for the district and make connections so people have a conduit to connect with the school district, hear what's going on and also share their thoughts.

Q. You've also said you want to include the community in the budget process and other planning. How will you do that?

A. I've just been brainstorming at this point, but I want to ask the community for input on what they'd like to see in the schools in the future, but based on the need to reduce some spending. In Antioch, we held seven meetings in seven months open to the public that tackled different aspects of education, such as facilities. The first hour was a background informational session and the second hour we broke into groups of about 10 people. We took recordings from each group and created a report based on the feedback that the board used to create a five-year strategic plan.

Q. Do you support the $27 million borrowing plan that voters will decide in a referendum?

A. My feeling is this really needs to be done and I think certainly a portion of that $27 million could go to bring up the conditions of our schools. - If we don't take care of our school buildings now, the cost is going to be much greater down the road and they're going to fall into disrepair. I haven't had the chance to analyze the finances carefully enough to weigh in on the $10 million working cash fund, but my goal is to be as debt free as possible.

Q. Have you spoken with former Superintendent Dan Lukich?

A. I have not, no. But I have reached out to some people who have significant history in the district. (Former principal and acting Superintendent) Joe Kiszka's been great. I've spoken to Nancy Robb and Ed Rafferty (superintendents of District 211 and District 54) and several former employees who've offered a number of insights into the history. The background information has been very helpful.

Q. Why did the board hire you?

A. I think they saw me as a real people person and felt that would be good for the district at this time. I can help repair some of the things that need repairing and heal some of the relationships that need healing. People will feel better about the whole organization.

Q. Is your role somewhat limited because of your interim status?

A. I emphasized in my interview I want this to be a year of moving forward and not just standing still status quo. The board has empowered me just as if I were the long-term superintendent. Staff too. Our plan is to pretend like this is going to go on for a long time.