One north suburban school superintendent has resigned, and the future of another is in doubt.
Joseph Pollack, who has been stuck in the middle of an emotional debate over maintaining racial balance as superintendent of Evanston-Skokie School District 65, announced his resignation Monday, effective at the end of the school year.
Pollack has been criticized by some school board members and several parents for not being more decisive in drawing up a reorganization plan to meet the district’s racial guidelines. District 65 is committed to having no more than 60 percent of any racial group make up any school’s population.
In nearby Niles Township High School District 219, Supt. Errol Frank must be told by the board by April 1 whether his two-year contract will be renewed in June.
Frank inherited a $5.5 million deficit in the district’s education fund two years ago, and has been credited for cost-saving moves that have nearly wiped out the shortfall. But he has also been criticized for contract negotiations that gave teachers higher salaries than some considered reasonable.
While the district’s financial picture is improving, ongoing computer problems have delayed the processing of student college transcripts. A recent shooting outside Niles North High School in Skokie has also turned up the heat.
Many of the district’s problems may have developed before he took the job, but Board President Sandy Alper said, “He is the head man and ultimately has to take the blame . . . when good things happen he gets the credit. The buck has to stop somewhere.”
In his defense Monday, Frank said that “The district is making a lot of progress. What has been accomplished stands by itself.”