Park Ridge-Niles Community Consolidated School District 64 Superintendent Ben Collins plans to emphasize face time and communication opportunities with parents and students as the school year gets underway, he said.
Collins, the former principal of District 207’s Maine South High School, took over from former superintendent Eric Olson July 1. He inherits a district that has seen some instances of intense conflict over the last 18 months, from disagreements over pandemic mitigations to clashes about the role of diversity, equity and inclusion and holiday events.
In spite of recent tensions, Collins said he sees “unbelievable” potential in the District 64 community.
“I think everybody wants the kids to have great experiences,” Collins said. “If we can find ways for us to work together toward really ambitious goals for our students and our staff, I think the sky is the limit.”
District 64 families should expect “a solid start with a lot of adults that are really excited to see kids” when students return to classrooms, he said.
Collins plans to be in school buildings on Tuesdays and Thursdays for his first year, he said. He plans to spend Mondays in the district office and Wednesdays in and around Park Ridge and Niles, he added.
The idea is to “really understand what the student and staff experiences are over the course of the school year,” he said.
The district will also roll out an every other month feedback and question and answer session with Collins geared toward establishing “regular patterns of just touching base with people and providing community moments.”
Collins said the goal with those sessions is to offer parents and community members other ways to get information and ask questions beyond monthly board meetings.
He cautioned that between the sheer volume of decisions that need to be made in a school district and the many different perspectives in Park Ridge and Niles, total agreement isn’t a realistic goal. He is shooting for transparency and understanding of district decisions instead.
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“One of the things that I’m going to be working towards is trying to ensure that everybody feels like their voices are heard,” he said.
Once the academic year is rolling, he said the district is looking at the idea of a community advisory panel to offer feedback to the school district from people who may not be directly connected to the district.
Collins is also leading a district where there is a relatively high proportion of new leadership: both Jefferson and Emerson Schools had new principals start July 1 while the central office has new assistant superintendents for technology, teaching and learning, and facilities.
Collins said the district’s leadership team was starting off by reviewing the current strategic plan and thinking about how to continue to execute it.
He emphasized that it’s still early days for the new team, which is looking to balance a taking-stock of current practices with potential changes.
“In terms of what people can expect, I think they can expect really great leadership,” he said. “We’ve got just amazing people that have come on board.”
The school year begins Aug. 23.