Dist. 75 head gets 3 more years on contract

Mundelein Elementary District 75 Superintendent Cynthia Heidorn has a vote of confidence from the school board, which extended her contract for three years.

Heidorn, 53, will make $168,046 in the 2008-09 school year, officials decided Monday. A cost of living adjustment and bonuses will be determined by the board in subsequent years.

The K-8 district, which has about 2,050 students in four schools, has experienced many changes since Heidorn began the job July 1, 2005.

"We've made numerous changes in the district, which are continuing to be felt and continuing to have positive results," said board president Wells Frice. "We're focusing on learning outcomes and getting ready to finalize the core elements of a longer-range plan."

Changes during Heidorn's tenure include a much-debated reorganization of the schools, a new teacher contract, hiring of new administrators, and a successful pitch to voters to issue $10 million in bonds to repair and renovate school buildings and install air conditioning.

"I'm very excited to be able to continue the work that we started," she said Tuesday. "It's the opportunity to really focus on the curriculum and instruction."

As crews begin repairs on school buildings, administrators and teachers continue work on several fronts, including a long-range plan and a new mission statement for the district.

Concentration will be on student achievement and growth. Among the changes will be a new type of reporting in which parents can monitor the progress of their children throughout the year, updated every two weeks.

To accommodate construction, the 2008-09 school year schedule will be in trimesters rather than quarters.

"We've been moving our performance up, we're fixing up our schools, we'll start a community-wide reading initiative in the fall," Heidorn said.

With the shift from neighborhood schools to the grade center configuration, teachers are working to smooth the transitions for students from level to level, including the move to high school.

"I feel like we're on really sound footing," Heidorn said. "We're focusing on reading and math in the coming year and those are key areas."