Superintendent Teresa Hill departs from SH SD151 after 14 years

After 14 years as superintendent, Teresa Hill is saying goodbye to South Holland School District 151.

Hill is set to leave the district on June 30 to become the new superintendent of Homewood School District 153. Hill delivered her final State of the District report during the June 8 board meeting, highlighting districtwide accomplishments in academics, programming, safety, and facility improvements.

“There was no way to put into a presentation all of the things that we have done over the past 14 years,” Hill said. 

All classrooms and school libraries were renovated during Hill’s tenure. Other facility improvements include a renovated track and field area at Coolidge Middle School and updated playgrounds at Taft, Eisenhower, and Madison schools. The district is also getting a fine arts/STEM center, which is scheduled to open at Coolidge in August.

Hill also pointed to security upgrades, including controlled entry systems, door replacements, a weapons detection system at Coolidge Middle School, and panic alert devices.  “We have BluePoint devices in all of our buildings that allow us to alert everyone in the building and the police and fire [departments] in case of some kind of major emergency.”

The district has seen steady growth in academics since the COVID-19 pandemic, Hill said. Based on this spring’s Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measure of Academic Progress test scores in reading and math, almost every grade level in the district scored above the 50th percentile with the exception of seventh grade, which only reached the 40th percentile in math. According to Hill, the district is outperforming the NWEA’s national norm. She credited the gains to years of curriculum development, expanded intervention programs, and investments in instructional materials.

Since 2012, the district has expanded bilingual programming, implemented curriculum-based field trips, introduced a co-teaching model in special education, and established full-day pre-K programs, Hill said. The district has also enhanced their extracurricular offerings with special programming such as a student-led newscast program and a Deep Sea Explorers’ Club, both at Madison Elementary School. 

Hill also emphasized the district’s financial position, telling board members the district has maintained balanced budgets throughout her administration while building reserves that will allow the district to remain stable during future financial uncertainty.

“School District 151 is in the best shape it’s ever been,” Hill said. “We are in the best place that we can possibly be in financially, academically, [and] with our staff. Where we go from here depends on all of you.”

Hill ended her final State of the District report by urging staff and community members to remain engaged in the district’s future. “The district is in a great place to continue to do great things for kids. Keep doing what you do because it makes a difference.”

Personnel and equipment updates

While Hill’s report focused on the district’s accomplishments over the years, board members also took action on initiatives that will shape its future.

The board approved the employee transition of Aarin Adams, a counselor at Madison School, who will serve as a school psychologist at Jessica Buckner Administration Center starting July 22. Hill described the move as a “major step forward” because the district has not employed its own school psychologist for several years, instead relying on contracted services.

“We wanted to get somebody that would know how to work with our students, who would want to work with our students, and that would be fully qualified,” Hill said. Adams recently earned a Master’s degree in psychology from Governors State University.

Technology director Christopher Roth reported that staff laptops had recently been replaced with new Lenovo devices and that student computer labs received updated desktops. Future plans involve getting new laptops for students in third through fifth grade and new iPads for students in pre-K through second grade.

Roth shared that the technology department upped the district’s email security and filtering system as a response to recent cyber attacks toward the schools. The district also received a new web-filtering solution provided by the state at no charge.

“It’s shown to be much better than the old version was and has helped us in a couple of situations already,” Roth said of the web filters.

At Roth’s request, the board approved a motion to recycle or donate surplus equipment. Roth said most of the proposed items are generally four to five years old and are either inoperable or have reached the end of their lease agreements.

The meeting concluded with staff members reflecting on Hill’s impact on the district. Several credited her with expanding opportunities for students through educational travel, arts programming, professional development, and academic initiatives that reached beyond the classroom.

Kathryn Varner, who has worked at the district for 25 years, was appointed the new superintendent last month and will officially start on July 1.