Superintendent’s exit sparks parent fears in Park Ridge-Niles D64: ‘We are not stable... possibly not even civil’
Parents voiced feelings of disappointment, frustration and fear at the Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education meeting Thursday night after learning three days earlier that Superintendent Eric Olson had submitted his resignation.
The Board formally approved Olson’s resignation at their meeting in a 4-3 vote. Board President Denise Pearl and members Nicole Woitowich and Larry Ryles voted “no,” while Secretary Phyllis Lubinski, Vice President Carol Sales and members Tom Sotos and Gareth Kennedy voted “yes.”
Many parents and community members who addressed the board during public comment said they feared that Olson’s resignation would damage the reputation of the district, particularly on the heels of a rocky year that included conflicts over masking and vaccination requirements and changes to school traditions.
“We are currently not stable; we are possibly not even civil,” parent Beth Rankin said. “How do we show up for our educators now and going forward?”
District 64 first told parents Monday, via an email from Olson and a follow-up email from the Board, that Olson would leave his position, citing “irreconcilable differences” between Board and superintendent.
The resignation took place on the heels of two board meetings that saw intense public comment. At the Nov. 17 meeting, according to previous reporting, parents condemning an attempt to move the Holiday Sing (a December concert) to become the Spring Sing called on the board to fire Olson, with one speculating that he was “a pagan, a satan worshipper or downright evil.” Olson had said the music teachers desired to move the concert later into the school year to give students more time to make progress.
Other parents at that meeting voiced their dissatisfaction with how the district had handled pandemic mitigations and vaccination requirements, which exploded almost a year ago at a February 2022 Board meeting. Per previous reporting, tensions rose high enough that police were asked to be present at schools the next morning for security.
At the Dec. 15 meeting, parents who supported Olson’s work in the district packed the meeting to voice their approval of his implementation of full-day kindergarten in the district, his work on the strategic plan through 2026 and his leadership throughout the pandemic.
At the Jan. 26 board meeting, parents asked that the board wait until after the April 4 elections, in which four seats on the board are up for possible turnover, to select a successor to Olson.
“I ask that the board recuse themselves from selecting his successor and allow the next board to have that task,” Kristen Olson, no relation to the superintendent, said during her public comment. “A clean slate will be good for everybody.”
Parent Rachel Georgakis expressed her fear that Olson’s resignation just months after the board had unanimously renewed his contract in August 2022 would impact the effectiveness of the search for the district’s next leader.
Parent Nicole Birmingham echoed that fear, saying she’s a teacher in Lake County and that “the word is out there that District 64 is not a good place to come to; it’s not a good place to work. It’s not a nice place to be a superintendent.”
Local activist Nan Parson echoed many of the same points other commenters had made and wished Olson the best for the rest of his career. Olson told Pioneer Press Tuesday he was not leaving for a specific new opportunity.
“I hope he finds a community that is welcoming and friendly,” Parson said. “Unlike Park Ridge.”
