District 205 Wants Unfiltered Views

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst School District 205 is hiring consultants to gauge the opinions of staff, students and parents, costing taxpayers $40,000. The effort aims to counteract increased stress and anxiety levels of students, officials say.

One board member, though, told his colleagues he did not understand why the district was hiring outside people to talk to "our kids."

Last week, the school board approved a contract with Hazard, Young and Attea Associates, an educational consulting firm. It is expected to conduct student focus groups and community forums in the spring. This is part of the Thrive D205 School and Community Wellness Partnership, which aims to reduce stress levels.

Board member Jim Collins was skeptical.

"I was under the impression that we had the capability to talk to our own kids and that we didn't need people outside our community to talk to our kids," he said.

One of the consultants, Glenn "Max" McGee, responded that students are much more eager to open up to people who they know do not have preconceived beliefs.

"You'll get much more robust and rich information working with outside folks. We find this with teachers as well. Teachers ask us not to use their names and we are asked to please not record," McGee said. "They want to say what's on their mind. They want it unfiltered. We don't pass judgment. We analyze."

Collins said he would like the project to get done as soon as possible.

"Frankly, I expected the Thrive D205 committee to be meeting with students last semester. I don't quite understand why it's taken so long," he said.

Board President Kara Caforio said she liked the idea of hiring consultants. She said she felt better if her child was talking to someone not associated with the district, so no repercussions would result.

Member Courtenae Trautmann also supported the contract.

"Some kids do respond to someone they know, and others want to talk to those who they don't know. They feel safer that way," she said.

The board voted 6-1 for the proposal, with Collins dissenting.

During his presentation, McGee, the consulting firm's president, and his associate, Sharon Frys, spoke about the advantages of hiring outside consultants. McGee, Illinois' state superintendent of schools from 1998 to 2001, referred to his experience as superintendent of the Palo Alto district in California, where he worked from 2014 to 2017.

In September 2017, McGee resigned from Palo Alto under pressure. He was blamed for missing a deadline to notify unions about plans to renegotiate raises, costing the district millions of dollars. He also was criticized for the district's handling of sexual assault claims. At the same time, the board praised McGee for his optimism and the improvements he made to the district.