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J. Kamala Buckner, Ph.D.
{Dr. J. Kamala Buckner}
Great Expectations:
District 205 delivers future-ready graduates, solid citizens who excel in business, community service, athletics, performing arts, and many other fields.
Superintendent of Schools
Radical and Bold Change for 2025
On June 14, 2010, District 205 submitted a grant to the Illinois State Board of Education for $6 million in hopes of beginning bold, new, and radical changes for our schools. In reviewing the data and talking with parents and community leaders, business as usual cannot continue.
The students of the 21st Century have more demands on their time and intellect. The careers presently available to the workforce are rapidly changing. The students preparing to compete in 2025 must be more flexible, technological and master how to work in teams. Students must master reading, writing and arithmetic in ways that were not taught to most of their parents. In order to make these changes we must “think out of the box”.
College and Career Focus
The District has instituted new programs such as the Pre-Pharmacy Program, Project Lead The Way, International Culinary Arts and Thornton Township Academy of Truck and Diesel Technology Powered by Navistar. All programs lead to a career or college. Our newest program, Navistar, is extremely successful. Forty-eight sophomores started the program in the fall. All of the students completed the first year with a 97% attendance rate. All students were required to dismantle and reassemble a 528 part engine. After reassembling the engine students must pass the final test of restarting the engine. I am very pleased to announce that all engines started! Next year, financial literacy, Chinese, Arabic and Bio-Med programs will be fully implemented. Even with the awesome start, the District still has much more to do.
School Improvement Grant
If the District is successful in obtaining the School Improvement funds, changes will be implemented. Changes are neither comfortable nor easy. Nevertheless, the impending changes are designed to revolutionize teaching and learning in order to prepare our students to compete globally and internationally, not just nationally. District 205 has had several journeys. At one time, we were in fiscal devastation. Although we still have fiscal challenges, we are in a far better position than many school districts because our Board of Education made the decision to have a balanced budget and provided the Superintendent with the direction to make that occur. The mission continues to be to ensure that the students are highly
competitive, are able to make a livable wage as well as become strong and independent citizens. This will require all of us. “It does take a village to raise a child” but it also takes a village to make the changes we need to make our students successful.
Residency
Lastly, but most importantly, while we are looking forward to making the needed changes for all students, the District is also very concerned about the number of students who do not live within District 205 boundaries and are taking advantage of our education as well as the taxpayers’ dollars. Unfortunately, some individuals are erroneously using the homelessness guidelines to improperly enter our schools. Others are falsifying addresses. The Board of Education and Administration are focused on this issue and instruction all outreach and residency personnel to use all tools available to ensure all students are residents of Thornton Township High School District 205. The District is committed to identifying the students and families so as they leave the district they can reimburse district the tuition cost.
The journey continues.
J. Kamala Buckner, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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