District 200 interim superintendent turns over the reins
Charles Baker knew his final job with Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 would be the toughest in his 37 years with the district.
As interim superintendent, the former Wheaton Warrenville South High School principal had to deal with a projected $8.6 million budget deficit while negotiating a new contract with the district's teachers and assisting the search for a permanent superintendent.
Still, eight months after Baker's appointment, District 200 has a two-year pact with its teachers that helps the district close the budget deficit, thanks to a one-year freeze of teacher salaries. And Brian Harris, a former area superintendent in St. Charles Unit District 303, is poised to assume his new duties as District 200's superintendent on July 1.
For Baker, it's the perfect time to call it a career. So as part of the budget reductions, he decided to eliminate his previous position as interim director of secondary education - a part-time post he'd held since retiring in 2004.
"I can't claim that I'm retiring because I already did that once," the 61-year-old Naperville resident said. "I think I'm just quitting. Or I've been fired, I guess, is the best term."
Officially, Baker's last day with District 200 is Wednesday, June 30. He recently sat down with the Daily Herald to talk about his time leading the district. Here is an edited version of that conversion.
Q. You knew you were going face significant challenges as interim superintendent. Why did you accept the appointment?A. I said "yes" because I have an obligation to the district. This district employed me in 1972 when there were few teaching jobs around. I had long hair and an attitude, and this district took a chance on a kid with that attitude. I have been here ever since, and I've been very fortunate.So when they called, I thought, "OK. If I can help out in some small way for a short period of my professional career, then that's probably the right thing to do."Q. District 200 was facing a projected $8.6 million budget deficit. Do you believe enough cuts have been made to address that shortfall?A. Yep. I believe we're there. I believe now the issue will be to hold to those projections as tight as we can. The $8.6 million all along was a target with the full understanding that you may not make the $8.6 million - or you might get more than the $8.6 million - based on how salaries come in, how class sizes come in, how enrollment comes in and so forth.I think with the help of many people across the district, we've taken a step in the right direction. Is the work done? No. It's got to continue. The new superintendent and the principals and the teachers need to continue to examine the level of service that we provide and (ask,) how does it match up to the dollars that are available to us.Q. What's an example of something that could impact the $8.6 million target?A. Class size. There was a great deal of frustration, particularly from parents and principals, about the target class size issue. One thing we promised, and the board endorsed, was that we would monitor that as enrollment patterns become more clarified to us.It's a big issue because every time we add back a teaching position, that's an additional approximately $60,000 that's got to be accounted for. At the same time, we don't want class sizes of 33 in our primary grades. So we're watching that carefully.Q. How many teachers were let go as part of the district's reduction in force?A. We RIFed about 150 total, but will hire back close to 90 to 100 of those. We RIFed them because we had to protect our teaching positions and our finances to know what our enrollment patterns and so forth were going to be. Our target was to reduce our certified teaching staff by 64 positions. And right now, we have done that. Thirty-three were retirees.Q. Letting go of any teachers involuntarily must be difficult.A. It's very difficult. I knew many of them. And I can think of examples where they - because they're younger - bring a certain degree of enthusiasm to the classroom. But what they truly bring to the classroom is that next generation of teaching strategies and a comfort level with some of the things that are out there.Q. Will management of the middle school "B" sports teams be turned over to the Wheaton Park District?A. I have had conversations with the park district. They are very open to the idea. The (school) board has not made a final determination on what it wants to do with that yet. We'll move as swiftly as we can. I have no question in my mind of the park district's ability to provide a program for our middle school kids.Q. Are you hopeful the state will pay the more than $6 million it owes District 200?A. I am. I know that the business managers across the state are not as optimistic as I am. But I believe in November when the election is over and all the campaigning business stops, they (Illinois lawmakers) are going to have to recognize that they put this state in a disastrous position.Q. If it gets to the point where the state doesn't come through with the money it owes District 200, are there going to be more cuts?A. You have three alternatives. You can ask citizens to pay the difference through a referendum. You can hope for divine deliverance from the state of Illinois. Or you can restructure your programs to match your available dollars.To restructure our programs to match our available dollars in the future, that's going to be a challenge. You have to change your program because you can't change the revenue stream. You've got to reduce your costs to live within it.Q. What is it about Brian Harris that makes him the right fit for the superintendent position?A. His experience path, first and foremost. He's coming to us grounded in all of the things that I think are going to make a quality superintendent. He was a classroom teacher. He was a building-level administrator. Then he followed a career path through the central office that gave him a wide breadth of experience. He's got a financial background. He's negotiated contracts. He's managed high school programs. He's at that right point in his career where the next logical step is to be the superintendent of schools.But I also think there's a piece that's really crucial in my mind and that is his personal demeanor. He's not here to build his own reputation. He's not here for a particular "change" agenda. He's here to lead the district in a cooperative manner and with the sincere appreciation for what our teachers and our administrators do.Q. What is the biggest challenge for Mr. Harris?A. The real challenge for him is to keep his eye on the future. And what I mean by that is not just the fiscal future, but the educational future. These systems are going to be taxed to find new ways to deliver instructional strategies.Q. What's next for you?A. It's time for me to shift my focus. The focus has always been here. It's time for me to shift it back to the family. And that's what I am going to.True13962000Charles Baker, interim superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200, says the state's financial problems could force the school district to make some tough decisions in the future.Scott Sanders | Staff PhotographerTrue