Resigned D-65 Superintendent Receives $100,000 Severance Package

EVANSTON, IL — The departing superintendent of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will walk away with a severance package worth close to $100,000, according to the terms of the deal.

Superintendent Paul Goren announced his resignation earlier this month, effective July 1. District 65 board members unanimously approved the severance payment at a special meeting June 17 without publicly disclosing the terms of the resignation agreement.

According to the resignation agreement and copies of Goren's employment contracts obtained through a public record request, the taxpayers will pay Goren $80,838.87 within 10 days of his final paycheck.

The district will also pay out 17 unused vacation days for another $16,346.15, offer health insurance continuation coverage until the end of the year and allow Goren to keep the district-owned cellphone and laptop he had been provided.

For his part, Goren agrees not to sue the district, as is common in such agreements, and not to apply for another job in the district without specific permission.

Goren was appointed in 2014 following the abrupt resignation of the previous superintendent. He was granted a contract extension in 2017 that would have lasted until 2021. According to the district's administrator compensation report, he was paid more than $300,000 in combined salary and benefits.

According to a joint statement that serves as his letter of recommendation from the board, Goren was quitting at "an opportune time to transition the leadership to build on the progress made over the past five years." Not mentioned in that joint statement: the district's own progress reports show declines in test scores across all groups of students and district losing ground against its own five-year targets.

At a special June 17 board meeting, the district appointed Stacy Beardsley, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, to serve as interim superintendent until the end of August. It also hired BWP & Associates to conduct a search for an interim superintendent for the 2019-20 school year and a permanent superintendent for the 2020-21 year.

The district will be looking to replace Goren with someone "who can support our talented team of professionals in their ongoing work for the district and who can ensure that we continue to keep forward progress for our students, particularly our students of color, at the center," Board President Sunith Kartha said in a prepared statement.

"The board understands that the uncertainty raised by a change in leadership is bound to cause some discomfort and anxiety within our district and our community," Kartha said. "We assure you that we are working hard to ensure a smooth leadership transition and we intend to engage in a process that is transparent and inclusive of stakeholder voice to identify the next superintendent of District 65."

Earlier: Evanston/Skokie District 65 Superintendent Stepping Down July 1