Lockport Twp. HSD 205 board members report IASB conference takeaways on trust, onboarding and community messaging

Board members and student representatives for Lockport Township High School District 205 reported on a recent Illinois Association of School Boards conference, highlighting trust, onboarding and the importance of community messaging around budget decisions.

James Wyatt, a student board member, said he attended the conference on November 21 and that his "most important takeaway was interacting with school board members, my fellow student board members, and administrators, hearing their perspectives and learning new ideas to bring to Lockport and just interacting with new people." Wyatt said those connections gave him concrete ideas to bring back to the district.

Abigail Carroll, who serves on the finance and facilities committee, said the event in Chicago allowed informal conversations with professionals statewide that she expects will build future relationships. "My biggest takeaway from the IASB ... in Chicago this past week was that we were able to connect with professionals from all over the education space across the state in a less professional manner and connect with them on a personal level, which will build our future," Carroll said.

Student representative Ryan Gleason described different models for involving students in governance, saying some districts use an advisory board for the superintendent while others seat student board members. "Our school has both though, and we merge them together, and it creates a really effective and cohesive way for conveying student thoughts to the board," Gleason said.

Evelyn Schilerczyk, a student member on the curriculum committee, urged a "people first, professionals second" approach to school leadership. "We need to take a step back, show that humility, that humanity that we have inside to create approachability," she said.

An unidentified board member who attended a superintendent-evaluation session said Dr. McBride is "on his way out next year," signaling an upcoming leadership transition the board will need to manage. The same speaker praised the district's onboarding process, saying District 205 provides stronger onboarding support to new board members than many districts they spoke with.

Attendees also relayed messaging from conference presenters: a lawyer and a union representative distilled a simple principle, summarized in the meeting as, "working conditions are your child's learning conditions." One board member said that principle should guide future decisions about staffing and school operations.

Several speakers said the conference emphasized clearer planning and communication. A board member recommended a more formal calendar and timeline for board work, referencing a conversation with O'Halloran about improving effectiveness. Another attendee described a session titled "Dollars and Decisions" and urged the board to prepare messaging for the community about budget choices affecting East and Central to reduce potential backlash.

A session with Dr. Horst Horstager on trust also resonated, with a board member summarizing his point that sources of conflict often boil down to whether trust exists. The session outlined pillars — connection, ownership, follow-through and integrity among them — and urged vulnerability and earned trust within governance.

No formal actions or votes were recorded as part of these reports; the items presented were informational updates from attendees. The board did not take formal action on superintendent succession, communications planning or calendar changes during the reported remarks. The district may address those topics in future meetings as follow-ups to the conference reports.