'Hypocritical': Hinsdale D86 Board Chides Administrators

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86 board members chided administrators last week for offering a new course to underclassmen.

One member said he found the officials' position "hypocritical."

After the board's March 7 meeting, administrators emailed incoming ninth and 10th graders that they would offer an early bird physical education course.

They said they were following a school board directive. But as Patch reported a week and a half ago, the board did not issue a directive at its meeting.

On Thursday, the board voted unanimously to add an early bird PE course before school for underclassmen.

But board members took the administration to task for creating the new course, with more than 50 students now signed up.

Board member Peggy James said she did not know how the public email came about.

"This is the result of the administration taking action on their own and then blaming the board for the results," James said. "At no time was I informed or the full board informed that a new course was being developed."

She said "where this landed" was that the district would make exceptions for certain students to take early bird PE courses that already exist.

Rebecca Nelson, an interim co-superintendent, apologized if there was any confusion.

"It was certainly not the intention in any way," Nelson said. "There was discussion at this table relative to offering (early bird) PE to ninth and 10th graders. It seemed like a desirable thing to do. These are not new courses. They are newly offered courses in a different time slot."

Board President Catherine Greenspon disagreed. She said it was being offered as a new course.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Nelson, to clarify, the confusion was not at the board table," Greenspon said. "New course proposals are approved at the table."

Added member Asma Akhras, "There was no directive."

Member Heather Kartsounes said she was surprised to hear about a board directive. She said she learned about it from a media inquiry. (Patch asked all board members about the directive, but got no response.)

"I wish it had gone through the proper channels and there would have been better and clearer communication around this, so there wouldn't be so much confusion within our community and within our families," Kartsounes said.

During the March 7 meeting, administrators said it was too late in the process to add a new course to the program of studies. They said the same thing about last-minute proposals to add World History Honors at Hinsdale South.

Board member Jeff Waters, an advocate for World History Honors, asked why administrators pushed back on that course, but went ahead and added early bird PE.

"I find it hypocritical," he said.

Jason Markey, assistant superintendent for academics, said adding World History Honors was part of equalizing offerings at the two campuses, a process known as "alignment." On the other hand, he said, early bird PE was about adding a course in a new time slot.

In its earlier story, Patch documented the March 7 board meeting. Members appeared not to give any directive. In any case, the word "directive" or a synonym was not used.

The board could not take a vote at the time because the issue was not listed on the agenda. The matter came up after band and music students and their parents objected to the decision to exclude underclassmen from early bird PE classes.

This was not the first major incident of miscommunication between the board and administration in recent months.

In January, an interim superintendent twice updated the board about the process to issue a request for proposals from law firms. Then the board went ahead and selected a firm without seeing what others had to offer.