District 211 board sees new administrative changes as positive evolution

The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board of education was convinced by Superintendent Judith Campbell’s recommendation of changes to executive leadership positions for the coming school year — including introducing a deputy superintendent.

While elected officials approved the creation of six new titles among the upper administration, it fell to Campbell herself to fill them, Board President Steve Rosenblum said.

He added Campbell’s first year at the helm of District 211 allowed her to observe operations and make informed and appropriate recommendations.

“I think they’re the right leaders and I think Dr. Campbell did a very fine job of working through that process,” Rosenblum said. “She has been extremely focused on students. Her passion and her dedication are something I haven’t seen before in my nearly 10 years on the board. She tends to do things with purpose. This adjustment was very purposeful.”

The appointees to these new or tweaked positions are Deputy Superintendent LaShonda Bilbo-Ervin, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Kenneth Kleber, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Danielle Hauser, Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer Maria Robertson, Director of Safety and Security Matt Hildebrand and Director of Technology and Digital Learning Andrew Peterman.

Safety and security have always been priorities for the district, Rosenblum said. The board decided having a dedicated person made sense. Hildebrand seemed an obvious choice. He has 12 years of expertise as director of administrative services, he added.

Most of the positions have responsibilities in common with earlier ones, but even the addition of a deputy superintendent was designed not to throw the cost of upper administration off kilter, Rosenblum said. It’s a second-in-command position like Campbell held in Kansas City, Kansas, and one already used by some other school districts in the area.

“Dr. Bilbo-Ervin is an outstanding candidate from what I know,” Rosenblum said.

But creation of that position doesn’t mean a decision on the next superintendent has already been made, he added. As someone whose professional expertise is in human resources and talent acquisition, Rosenblum’s advice is always to cast a wide net.

He noted the two nationwide superintendent searches he’s been involved with at District 211 found one internal finalist in Lisa Small and an external one in Campbell.

“The thought is, leave no stone unturned,” he said. “There just may be a better person out there.”