District 62 could have handled Floyd Williams matter better

Last night we learned that the superintendent of District 62 schools, Floyd Williams Jr., is leaving the district in December with a separation agreement that will pay him $127,000, which is the remainder of his $198,000 annual contract.

This is because of sexual harassment accusations. This leaves a lot of questions that the Board of Education should feel compelled to provide answers for.

A $12,000 fee was paid to a search firm to locate a qualified candidate when Mr. Williams was hired. Over 40 applicants were reviewed. The BoE knew of the sordid circumstances that ended Mr. Williams' employment with the Kenosha schools. Was this really the best applicant? We couldn't do better? What did Mr. Williams say in his interviews that made the BoE comfortable with overlooking his past?

During the time that Mr. Williams was absent from his position in District 62, the BoE provided virtually no explanation to the public. We were told that it was a "private matter," also a "family matter."

Now we know that the "family matter" explanation was a complete lie. Why did the BoE mislead the public?

Are taxpayers now going to have to pay for another search firm to pay for a replacement?

I realize that people who run for school boards are generally not politically motivated and do it as a "labor of love" for their community. But in this case, this school board has let its community down in a very big way.

They owe Des Plaines an apology and perhaps should step aside at election time. I suspect they have lost the trust of a vast number of District 62 taxpayers.

Laura Schillmoeller

Rolling Meadows