PEORIA, Ill. – After being tabled at the July Board of Education meeting, a motion to establish a succession committee for Peoria Public Schools was denied on a 4-2 vote Monday night.
The motion received criticism from the Peoria Federation of Teachers and others who spoke at the meeting, with some saying the language was too “vague”.
School Board member Martha Ross submitted the agenda item with Lynne Costic, who was not at the meeting.
Ross said she was “appalled” that the agenda item received so much push back, saying that succession committees are how smart businesses operate. She added that establishing such a committee has nothing to do with Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat.
“This is a business that we run, and the board is in charge of giving direction to what we need to do in this district. And, I just feel that it’s important that we value people that already work for us, and are able to move up in certain positions…and I’m sorry that people felt differently than that,” Ross said.
New School Board member Larry Ivory was the only other board member to vote in favor of a succession committee.
School Board President Paris McConnell said she had no problem with having a succession plan, but that the committee itself could lead to a lack of transparency in filling PPS positions.
Superintendent Desmoulin-Kherat spoke against the committee idea, saying she was “confused” as to why there was even a need for one. She said there’s already a succession plan in place at PPS, and that applies to more than just the superintendent’s position.
“If something happens to any one of us, including principals, there’s already a replacement. So, there’s no need for succession planning for staffing for PPS, which is my role. The role that the board has is to select a superintendent for filling a vacancy,” Desmoulin-Kherat said.
The superintendent received cheers from the crowd after she finished speaking.
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