Sergio Hernandez steps down as president of Evanston/Skokie School Dist. 65 board ‘at the community’s request’ – Chicago Tribune

During a packed special board meeting at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center Monday morning, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board President Sergio Hernandez resigned from his cabinet role following the indictment of a former superintendent.

Hernandez, the longest-serving member of the current board, is the only sitting member to vote in favor of hiring former Superintendent Devon Horton. Horton was indicted in federal court on October 8 on fraud charges stemming from his tenure as District 65 leader.

Following Hernandez’s resignation, board member Patricia Anderson was elected as the new president to enthusiastic applause from an audience of District 65 teachers and parents. Anderson, a retired teacher of 35 years with the district, is now charged with leading the Board of Education as it seeks to cut millions of dollars in spending to balance the state school district’s budget. northern suburbs for K-8 and to close up to four schools at the end of the school year.

Quoting prominent African-American author James Baldwin, Anderson began his speech by stating, “Not everything one faces can be changed, but nothing can be changed until one faces it.” »

“District 65 faces difficult realities, but we are working to find meaningful solutions,” she said.

Hernandez remains on the school board as a member until his term expires in 2027.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the first Latino president in this body,” Hernandez said after announcing he was resigning as board president. “We have accomplished several things. We have expanded programs that serve multilingual students across the district and during my tenure. We have framed equity and the work that we do through the Equity Journey Continuum, which is a connection between my work that I do on the state board to support students, elevate educators and ensure that the climate is the best possible for our students in all of our schools.”

Horton was indicted and charged by the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois with wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion for actions he committed while serving as district superintendent.

The indictment, dated Oct. 8, accuses Horton, two Chicago Public Schools administrators and another individual of operating a kickback scheme in which Horton was paid by his alleged co-conspirators – identified in the indictment as his “friends” – when he approved employment contracts for companies they owned, while demanding that little or no work be done.

Horton and his accused friends are scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 23 at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago on their respective charges.

Hernández’s presidency includes the board’s adoption of the structural deficit reduction plan. Under the plan’s timeline, the school board is tasked with closing up to four schools by the end of this school year — not including the Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School of Global Studies — and opening a new K-5 school in Evanston’s 5th Ward.

After the vote choosing Anderson as the new board president, a 90-minute public comment session included verbal attacks on Hernandez for what some saw as weak leadership under the Horton administration, as well as concerns about further school closures.

Teachers’ union leaders criticized the board.

“Dr. Horton’s indictment may have shocked some, but for many of us working in this district, the effects of continued mismanagement have long been visible,” said Kelly Post, president of the District 65 Council of Educators.

“While we recognize that several current board members are new to their positions and not directly related to past decisions, it is critical to note that two remaining members of this board actually served during the period of mismanagement. In light of this and in the interest of restoring public trust, we strongly urge these individuals to take responsibility for their oversight failures and resign,” Post said, to applause fed to an audience of about 100 parents and district staff.

After the meeting, Hernández explained to reporters why he chose to resign when Horton’s indictment became public.

Hernandez said his resignation was “at the request of the community.”

“It will work better for them in terms of how we continue this particular process and try to regain the trust of the community as we continue the work. [Structural Deficit Reduction Plan] process,” he said.

An online petition on Change.org, organized by a former District 65 parent, criticized Hernandez following Horton’s indictment. The petition had more than 350 signatures as of Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear how many of the signatories had direct ties to the school district.

Hernandez, who works for the Illinois State Board of Education, said he hopes to remain an asset to the board, where he can share his unique vision as a former local educator and be a bridge to Evanston’s diverse community.