Glen Ellyn School District 41 Superintendent Paul Gordon said there are no problems with his public education license, despite questions raised by some residents over its status.
At the heart of the issue is the word “deficient,” which is used to describe his license on the Illinois State Board of Education website. The site lists an application date of July 2, 2014. Gordon, who came to Glen Ellyn from Colorado, said his home state and Illinois do not have a reciprocal agreement on educators’ licenses, and he has until July 1 to come into compliance.
“I assure you that date will be met,” Gordon said after Monday night’s meeting.
Mary Fergus, a spokesperson for the State Board of Education, said Gordon’s provisional license is valid until the expiration date. When it expires, she said Gordon would need to have his full Illinois public education license “in issued status” to continue to work in Illinois.
Before Monday’s meeting adjourned, though, several residents expressed concern during a period of public comment.
Bruce Currie, a Glen Ellyn resident who teaches third grade in Joliet, said he and his colleagues work hard to keep their teaching credentials up to date. When he saw that Gordon was deficient in one of his state credentials, he was concerned what that might mean for the leadership of the district.
“I think it’s important for the people in the district to know what the status of the situation is,” Currie said.
John Kenwood, the outgoing board president, said there is a time-consuming process educators have to go through when coming from another state.
“He’s going through the process, and we don’t expect any problems,” Kenwood said.
Board member Dean Elger said it is not uncommon for states to not have reciprocal agreements in multiple professions, including education. He expressed his support for Gordon meeting the state’s deadline.
In addition to Gordon’s license, residents also were concerned about part of the consent agenda that dealt with compensation for the superintendent, as well as an emergency closed-session board meeting Saturday to “discuss personnel issues,” according to the agenda.
Jeffrey Cooper, a candidate for the school board in the most recent election, was concerned that no public information was provided about compensation. Typically the consent agenda is a list of routine items voted on by a board in one lump vote. Cooper questioned whether or not Gordon’s contract was being extended, or if the board was providing a bonus.
“What’s going on with the contract? Is it being renewed? Is it being extended? What’s going on,” resident Jennifer Rath questioned, echoing Cooper.
Gordon is in the second year of a three-year contract with an annual base salary of $195,000. Gordon came to the district in 2013 after serving three years as chief academic officer for the Adams 12 Five Star Schools, a K-12 public school district near Denver. He was also a middle school teacher, principal and executive director of schools for that district.
Gordon earned a bachelor of arts degree from Metropolitan State University and a master of arts from the University of Phoenix, both in Denver. He earned his doctorate of education from Fielding Graduate University, which is in Santa Barbara, Calif.
baiduhai reporter Dawn Rhodes contributed.
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Keown is a freelance reporter for baiduhai.