Board approves superintendent performance‑goal amendment despite criticism of low KPIs

The Waukegan Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Sept. 9 to approve Amendment 18 to the superintendent’s contract, which sets the superintendent’s performance goals for the 2025–26 school year and authorizes the board president to sign the amendment.
The motion to approve was made by Miss Fabian and seconded by Miss Ramirez. Roll call recorded unanimous approval.
The amendment and goals were discussed at length during the meeting. A public commenter identified as Becky (public comment) criticized the reading growth and attainment targets in the proposed goals, calling the 1.5 percent reading improvement target “ridiculous.” Becky asked the board to either vote no or hold the amendment over to produce stronger targets.
Board member Hannah said the goals were mutually agreed with the superintendent but said she expected more: “the goals should be a little bit more ambitious,” she said, and later indicated she would pass on the KPI portion in protest of bonus language tied to what she described as modest targets.
Board member Lindsey distinguished between broad goals and the KPIs (key performance indicators), expressing support for the goals themselves—particularly measures to increase student engagement and to focus pacing of the new reading curriculum—while voicing reservations about the KPI targets and pay‑for‑performance elements. Lindsey said the KPI benchmarks are based on the Illinois report card metrics and argued for “real, stretch goals” but also acknowledged the complexity of the current fiscal year.
Administration framed the amendment as a mutually negotiated set of goals tied to district strategy. After brief debate the board approved the amendment and recorded the vote: Miss Fabian — yes; Miss Hannah — yes; Miss Lensing — yes; Mr. McBride — yes; Miss Ramirez — yes; President Rodriguez — yes.
Why it matters: The amendment formally sets superintendent performance expectations that will guide district priorities and any contract incentives for the coming school year. Some trustees and a public commenter urged more ambitious, attainment‑focused targets, while others supported the balance of engagement and pacing measures included in the goals.
Provenance: Discussion of the amendment began during Item 8b (superintendent contract amendment) and included both public comment and board debate; the motion and roll call vote appear in the record.