District 86 Superintendent Rouse Wants New Multi-Year Contract

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet District 86 school board is expected to vote at Wednesday night's meeting on a new multi-year contract for Superintendent Theresa Rouse to remain in charge of Joliet's public grade schools and junior highs.

The resolution on the meeting's "consent" agenda indicates Rouse's current contract with District 86 runs through June 30, 2023. Even though Rouse has another 15 months of job security, she still wants another multi-year contract with District 86 far into the future.

Rouse came to Joliet from California in 2016. She is finishing her sixth school year in Joliet. Rouse has always received a pay raise of more than $7,000 every year she has worked for District 86, Joliet Patch found.

Rouse has received $45,974 in raises since she finished the 2016-2017 school year. Her average pay raise during the past five school years has been $9,195.

In addition to that, the District 86 school board also started giving Rouse a $21,735 annuity during the 2019-2020 school year.

During the past three years, Rouse's annuity payments have totaled $65,205, Joliet Patch determined.

Between her salary and her annuity, Rouse makes at least $262,709 this current school year.

This month, Joliet Patch obtained Rouse's salary history along with her past superintendent contracts with District 86, following a Freedom of Information Act request.

A loyal reader asked Patch to look into Rouse's contract after the March school meeting.

"At the Joliet Public Schools District 86 Board of School Inspectors meeting held Wednesday, March 9, 2022, Superintendent Theresa Rouse requested an extension of her contract which expires this 2021-2022 school year," the reader explained. "She has requested the Board of Inspectors to extend her contract for five years. "Most school districts administrative contracts only have a duration of two years, at the most three years. Five years is quite rare ...

"I am asking you as a reporter of our local news to take an interest in this situation and this potential contract as well as her expenses/reimbursements that could be FOIA’ed since several community members question Dr. Rouse's effectiveness as a superintendent for Joliet 86 Public Schools and want to know more."

Wednesday's District 86 school board meeting agenda does not specify how many years into the future Rouse's new contract would last. The agenda also does not list any salary information for Rouse's proposed multi-year contract.

On Monday night, Joliet Patch left a message with school board secretary Stephanie Phelan seeking clarification on the multi-year contract listed on Wednesday night's agenda.

In any event, Wednesday's meeting will take place in the gymnasium at Hufford Junior High, with entry off of the Ingalls Avenue parking lot.

School board members who will be voting on Rouse's new contract are:

• Erick Deshaun Dorris, President
• Deborah K. Ziech, Vice President
• Gwendolyn R. Ulmer
• Emil Standfield
• Matthew J. Pritz
• Elvis L. Madison, Jr.
• Antione J. Edwards