Lockport District 205 Board appoints new member, hires East Campus principal
The Lockport Township High School District 205 Board appointed Lance Thies to the board Tuesday, and hired Jacqueline Johnson, who will become the first Black woman to be principal of East Campus.
Thies was sworn in to fill the vacancy following Martin Boersma’s resignation in December. Thies, the director of community and economic development for Lockport, was one of eight candidates for the District 205 Board in the April 2023 election.
Boersma was elected in April, but resigned in December. He was backed by We The Parents Illinois, a group that endorsed candidates for several school and library boards.
Sixteen people applied for the vacancy, Superintendent Robert McBride said. The board interviewed five candidates in January, he said, and ultimately selected Thies to serve through 2025.
“I want to be a team player. I want to be a board member who is supportive of our staff, supportive of our administration, supportive of our taxpayers and ask good questions that our community might want to know,” Thies said.
Board President Ana Lopez-Caneva said Thies’ background in architecture and planning will benefit the board as it navigates the March referendum to renovate Central Campus.
“His expertise in architecture will help us as we move forward with Central Campus improvements. His community involvement will also help keep our board connected to our stakeholders,” Lopez-Caneva said.
East Campus principal
Johnson will be principal of East Campus, where district sophomores, juniors and seniors attend, effective July 1. Principal John Greenan will replace assistant superintendent for personnel Anthony Cundari, who will retire in June, McBride said.
Johnson has been the director of equity and articulation at High School District 218 since August 2020. She worked in District 218 for nearly 20 years as an English teacher, dean and director, according to the district’s website.
McBride said Johnson’s selection included two rounds of interviews, which included panels with administrators, staff members, parents and students.
“I’m just really excited to be here in Lockport,” Johnson said.
McBride said Johnson will bring expertise in teaching and learning, building and district leadership, equity and diversity in public high schools and communication with middle schools.
Central Campus repairs
The board heard from representatives from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., who completed an inspection of Central Campus ceilings following a November ceiling collapse in Room 310.
When that section of Central Campus, where district freshmen attend, was built in 1929, the ceiling construction style was to nail plaster to wood frames, said Kevin Kalata of the firm.
The collapse was the result of nails becoming loose over time because of fluctuations in wood moisture and past roof leakage, Kalata said.
Inspectors found 14 different ceiling structures throughout the building, Kalata said. Ceilings at the northwest corner of the school had similar ceiling structures to classroom 310 and were showing early signs of failure, he said.
The classrooms have a decorative ceiling that blocks the 1929 ceiling structure from view, Kalata said, so teachers, staff and students had no way of seeing potential problems.
“It wasn’t just bluntly visible or obvious that something was going on,” Kalata said.
The board approved a bid for $479,000 from CCC Holdings, Inc. for the demolition of ceilings in 17 classrooms and three hallways, McBride said.
Thies said he was pleased the inspection did not find significant deficiencies. He said he looks forward to using his expertise as an architectural designer as the board navigates the March referendum.
“The referendum and what to do with Central, whether the referendum passes or not, is of interest to me. I want to be a part of that solution whether that solution may be,” Thies said.
