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Lyons Township reports gains in staff diversity and retention under Goal 3 of strategic plan
Summary
District leaders told the board that certified educators of color rose from 6.6% to 9.64% and that certified staff retention rose to 95.45%, while Panorama survey measures of staff belonging edged from 54% to 57%. The board heard steps the district is taking on hiring, mentoring and professional learning to sustain progress.
District 204 administration and staff presented an update on Goal 3 — attracting, retaining and supporting a high-quality, diverse workforce — describing measurable progress and next steps to the Board of Education.
Director-level staff leading the goal said certified educators of color increased from a baseline of 6.6% to 9.64% in 2024–25, while total staff members of color rose from 22.36% to 24.41%, moving close to the goal-team target of 25% for staff of color and working toward a 15% life-of-plan target for certified educators of color. The district reported certified staff retention improved from an 88.4% baseline to a three-year average of 95.45%, meeting the action team’s 95% retention target.
Staff also reported gains in professional endorsements tied to special populations. The proportion of staff with endorsements such as LBS 1 (special education), English learner endorsements, reading specialist and bilingual content endorsements rose from 16.78% to 25.63%, approaching a 30% life-of-plan target.
The district noted that results on staff belonging measured by the Panorama survey remain incremental: favorable responses rose from 54% to 57% for certified and non-certified groups, with a life-of-plan target of 75%. Presenters said the district has doubled survey participation year over year, and that the leadership believes structural changes — hiring-for-equity training, listening circles, affinity/belonging groups, a unified onboarding hub and targeted professional-development tracks — set the foundation for further improvement.
Ed Petrovsky, identified in the presentation as the Goal 3 champion, described specific practices the district is implementing: mandatory hiring-for-equity conversations on all interview teams, an implicit-bias training room required by the Illinois State Board of Education, creation of affinity groups and formalized mentoring structures, and plans for a cultural-competency professional-learning continuum.
Three staff members who serve as equity ambassadors or affinity-group leaders described how those practices show up in day-to-day work. Shannon Eddy, an administrative assistant and Classified/Non-Contract professional development committee member, said the district’s pilot-club process and monthly staff coffee chats build connection across job categories. Michael Archbold, a teacher who described the BEST (Black and Educators Supporting Teachers/BIPOC educators supporting teachers) affinity group and IncubatorEDU, said staff-led communities help teachers bring a fuller sense of belonging into classrooms. Dr. Christopher Bass, who described restorative-practices work and curriculum workshops, explained how circle practices and classroom activities (he described a unit that paired reading on animacy with outdoor observation in the district’s pollinator garden) are translating equity work into instruction.
Board members praised the district’s progress and asked follow-up questions about survey methodology and endorsement benefits. Presenters said the Panorama metrics reflect favorable answers among respondents and that increased participation strengthens the reliability of the trend. The administration said some data (the ISBE school report card figures) were under embargo until Oct. 30 and will be published thereafter.
