Residents Distrust Hinsdale District 86: Consultants

HINSDALE, IL – Consultants with Hinsdale High School District 86's superintendent search firm relayed some hard truths last week about residents' perceptions of the district.

Over the last decade, the school board has often been in turmoil. The last few months have been no different, with a board member recently leaving in frustration.

The district is based in one of the wealthiest towns in the state.

Recently, Oak Park-based School Exec Connect held 20 focus group sessions and surveyed residents about their perceptions of the district. The firm is searching for a superintendent to replace Tammy Prentiss, whom the board ousted in June.

At last week's board meeting, Brian Barnhart, a consultant with the firm, pointed to trust as a key issue.

"A lack of trust across multiple groups within the school community exists currently," said Barnhart, superintendent of Western Springs School District 101.

He said political agendas are seen as prevalent and impede a "sense of consensus" on most big issues.

Such problems need to be addressed by the new superintendent, he said.

"There was absolutely commentary that there was still tons of pride in District 86, but there have been image hits and knocks recently," Barnhart said. "There are misconceptions and negative perceptions, and they are not always connected to facts."

He continued, "There is a strong consensus that District 86 has been targeted by the media and that media and social media have been used negatively by a number of different constituencies."

One issue that remains a challenge is diversity, Barnhart said.

"Agreement on how to address the diversity issue within the district is really blocked by the political issue we mentioned earlier," he said. "The diversity issue has created distinct camps and that will create challenges for the new superintendent."

Prentiss faced much opposition with her handling of diversity and equity efforts.

At the meeting, the firm reported that 21 people applied for the superintendent's position.

"That's a good number," said Kevin O'Mara, president of School Exec Connect. "Hinsdale's a great place. That doesn't mean it doesn't have its challenges. It's got its challenges. We heard that loud and clear in some of our focus groups and our survey responses."

The board aims to select a superintendent later this year. The person would likely start July 1.