Latest news with #ChristineLensing
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan D60 officials wary of future foreign teacher hiring; ‘It is risky to have that much of our staff, but … there is a huge teacher shortage'
With approximately 20% of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60's teachers coming from foreign countries, district officials are concerned about how the federal government's recent efforts to restrict educational visas might impact future staffing. Board of Education member Christine Lensing said at an April 22 meeting, 'the safety (concerns) of individuals coming into the United States right now are very valid.' She wants to see a 'strategic plan' reducing the reliance on teachers from other countries. Despite the uncertainty over immigration nationally, Angel Figueroa, the district's associate superintendent for human resources, said he is not concerned that the longstanding visa program with the U.S. State Department is in danger of ending. All approvals are in order before teachers arrive here. 'This program has been going on for more than eight years,' Figueroa said Monday. 'I do not foresee any change. Every teacher who comes here from another country is approved by the State Department. Licensure is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.' The District 60 Board of Education voted 6-0 with one abstention to approve a $30,000 budget for Figueroa or members of his staff to travel both around the country and abroad to recruit teachers to fill vacancies during the April 22 meeting at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan. Some teaching roles are harder to fill than others. Figueroa said bilingual teachers are particularly crucial for District 60. Approximately 50% of the students are English learners. There is also a need for diverse-learner, math and science instructors. Of the district's 1,000 teachers, Figueroa said 216 are part of the international teaching program. Some Spanish-speaking teachers also come from Puerto Rico. As American citizens, they only need ISBE approval. Though both Lensing and board President Brandon Ewing said there is a risk to bringing in such a large percentage of international teachers, finding people to teach students everywhere is a growing challenge. 'It is risky to have that much of our staff, but I do want to reiterate there is a huge teacher shortage … in Illinois, and we need a long-term strategy in order to repair that,' Ewing said. Most of the district's international teachers now come from Spain and the Philippines. Figueroa said he is considering expanding the search to South America. Waukegan first started using the program eight years ago. 'Our goal is to have qualified, certified teachers giving a quality education to all of our students in every classroom every day,' Figueroa said. Along with international travel, a part of the $30,000 can be used to recruit teachers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Figueroa said representatives of the district recruited at HBCUs for the past school year, and will likely do so again this term. LaBaron Moten, the district's deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said Monday that there can be benefits with teachers sharing cultural backgrounds with students as they interact in the classroom. 'The district goes out of its way to hire certified, qualified teachers for all of our vacancies,' Moten said. 'There is value added when they can share life experiences with our students.' With international teachers coming to Waukegan and other parts of the country, Figueroa said their visa for the program allows them to remain in the U.S. for five years. Since a teacher can achieve tenure after three years, there is a path to remaining longer and possibly becoming permanent residents or citizens. Ewing said at the meeting that the district will help teachers who have become valuable members of the staff remain. The rules are not the same for everyone because, 'not all the international teachers we recruit are subject to the same things.' 'Right now, with the way the law is written, with the individuals who choose to stay we do try to assist if they stay for a certain period of time,' Ewing said. 'We help them to get permanent residency.'
Chicago Tribune
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan school board to promote culture and traditions; ‘When students have a sense of belonging … they do better'
Seeking her seat on the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education two years ago, Christine Lensing did a lot of listening on the campaign trail. She said she heard community members talking about the safety, climate and culture of the city's public schools. Growing as a board member, Lensing continued to sense something was lacking in the overall atmosphere in the schools, which hindered the students from achieving their full potential. She talked about it at the March 11 meeting. Shortly afterward, she accepted a challenge. 'We had discussions on climate and culture, but I did not see the necessary things being done,' she said. 'I talked to the board president (Brandon Ewing) and he told me to write a resolution so we could all talk about it. I did.' The District 60 Board unanimously approved the Lensing-authored 'Resolution Regarding the Significance of School Culture, Climate and Traditions' Tuesday at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan, giving the administration guidance on how to put it into effect. 'This is something that had been happening and we had been hearing in the community, things in the tradition and history they wanted to see preserved in the Waukegan public schools,' Ewing said. 'This memorializes what is the hope and will of the board.' Delving into the individual treatment of school community members, their safety, old and new traditions, student self-expression, the need to belong, inclusion, celebration of achievements with the community and more, the resolution gives the administration direction. 'This will help meet the needs of our community,' Lensing said after the meeting. 'This is about issues (some) people have with safety, with climate, and culture of our schools. We need the entire community to come together.' Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said after the meeting that much of what is contained in the resolution is already in place. She and her administration will closely monitor evolving situations. Culture and climate impact student performance, she said. 'We know when students have a sense of belonging in school and in (its) curriculum, they do better academically,' Plascencia said. 'A lot of this is already present. We have to ensure people are respected and supported in our environment. It's a top priority.' Going beyond respect and support, the resolution said belonging is a 'fundamental human need' which brings 'reduced anxiety, lower risk of chronic illnesses, mental health, better academic performance, intrinsic motivation (and) enhanced safety.' Preserving school traditions is important, according to the resolution, by 'reinforcing a sense of belonging, shared identity and value and creating a sense of continuity through shared experiences and rituals.' Specifically, the resolution requires honoring longstanding traditions while supporting, 'thoughtful creation of new traditions' aligning with District 60's mission. Professional development will be provided to enhance culture and climate. Student voices must be heard. Self-expression of students is also encouraged in part by, 'finding creative ways to share their authentic selves in the arts, to include but not limited to music, dance, drama and art in order to promote a sense of belonging and a welcoming school environment,' according to the resolution. Plascencia said making students, teachers and staff safe, and other stakeholders comfortable, remains a high priority. 'We want to ensure our stakeholders know and feel that they belong to our school community,' she said. 'Hopefully they will remain in our community and mentor our future students. 'We want there to be pride with how each student identifies with their school either as a Jaguar (John R. Lewis Middle School), a Bulldog (the high school) or a 39er (Jack Benny Middle School),' Plascencia said.
