During the Jan. 14 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Thomas Moore outlined several restructuring changes to the district at the administrative level. These changes included:

• The elimination of the Chief Equity Officer position
• The elimination of Deans 
• The centralization of the role of district curriculum director (One director per department for the entire district)
• A new role of Associate Principal

Moore addressed students, teachers, parents, and community members at the district office as he noted several reasons for the restructuring during the meeting. For one, he questioned whether the current system allowed every leader in the building to know each and every student’s strengths and weaknesses. Moore explained that his plan to centralize certain positions and decentralize others would put a stop to the current system’s tendency of “impeding progress” and, instead, help every student on the individual level.

“Teaching and Learning,” Moore said. “Everything else is secondary to teaching and learning.”

Another large theme of Moore’s was cross-training. Moore explained that the current system of assigning one person per role was actually harmful and counterproductive to those employed. 

“By structure, we have left a gap in their resume,” Moore said, referring to assistant principals. For District 219, cross-training means partnering with other school leaders and working in all facets of the schools and district, including but not limited to equity, curriculum, and school events. The new role of associate principal will be a yearlong position that oversees a variety of areas, including discipline, evaluations, and curriculum. 

While Moore stressed that financials weren’t at the forefront of his decision, he said he has a responsibility to taxpayers. He also explained that the district needed to “be prepared for a rainy day,” citing the possibility of budget cuts in education under the incoming Trump administration. 

At the conclusion of his presentation, Moore explained that the restructuring would save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. More details of this plan will be provided in the future.