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Teachers and parents urge district to address leadership turnover and curriculum gaps during public comments
Summary
Community members used the March 20 board meeting public comment period to call for strategies to retain principals and to replace or update curriculum materials; a teachers’ union representative asked the board to develop internal leadership pipelines.
During the public comment segment of the Wheeling CCSD 21 meeting on March 20, community members and staff raised concerns about principal turnover, leadership development, and curriculum materials.
Ben Coleman, president of the District 21 Education Association, told the board the union wants a regular, transparent line of communication with the district and urged development of internal pathways to grow school leaders. Coleman described the nationwide shortage of qualified candidates for principal roles and said the district’s staff include potential leaders who could be supported and mentored. “We would welcome a conversation with the board and or with district administration about how we might grow more of our own leaders,” Coleman said.
A district employee, Maria Elena Martinez, identified herself as a teacher assistant at Twayne and urged the board to retain a principal she credited with improving academic levels, student belonging, and Individualized Education Program (IEP) compliance at that school. Martinez said the principal had “worked tirelessly for the benefit of our twin community” and that staff believed progress stemmed from that leader’s efforts.
Megan Baumgartner, speaking online, criticized what she described as outdated curriculum and frequent leadership turnover. She said neighboring districts offered “better resources” and asked the board how it planned to stop the loss of principals and administrators. “If you and our administration are serious about serving this district and continuing to serve year after year, then we need action, not another strategic plan collecting dust,” she said.
Board members did not engage in discussion during public comment; the meeting’s public-comment rules, read earlier by staff, said the board and administration will listen but may not respond to comments during the period.
Ending
Speakers asked the board to follow up with concrete steps: mentoring and leadership development for internal candidates, retention strategies for principals, and a review of curriculum materials. Board members will receive the comments as part of the public record and may address follow-up during staff or committee reports in future meetings.
