He won a school board seat at the age of 19. After two years, his fellow board members elected him vice president of the board, and one year later, they unanimously elected him school board president, making him, at 23, the youngest school board president in Illinois history.When he went on to win a seat as the Representative from the 92nd District in the Illinois House, many thought school reform would be the perfect platform for him. He dabbled a little bit, but now at the age of 30 he is a career politician, a member of Congress and the only platform that he appears to be interested in is probably the Nordic Track V7 Vibration Platform. His constituents have instead been left Schock(ed) by what appears to be his aspiration to use his platform to become a model.
It has been Jehan Gordon who has been consistently using her seat as the Representative from the 92nd District to further the experience she gained while serving on the Pleasant Hill School District #69 School Board. She is a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee; Senate's Special Committee on Education Reform; and she is taking part in the hearings on the Performance Counts Act of 2012. Recently she introduced legislation setting guidelines for assistant principals, where there currently are none.
Legislation To Bolster Assistant Principal Requirements
House Bill 3171, sponsored by Jehan Gordon, gives assistant principals the same responsibilities as principals and creates a method for evaluating their performance.
The evaluations would look at the duties and measure the performance of the assistant principal, comment on the strengths and weakness to offer improvements, and align them with the Illinois Professional Standards for school leaders.
Additionally, after 2012 assistant principal evaluations will include data and indicators of student growth as part of the evaluation.
House Bill 3171 passed the House at the end of March, and passed the Senate on May 12th. The legislation now moves to the Governor for further consideration.
Synopsis of House Bill 3171 as introducedAmends the School Code. Provides for the employment of assistant principals. Includes provisions concerning (1) their duties, (2) their contracts, (3) their reclassification, and (4) their evaluation. Removes language that provides that if a principal is absent due to extended illness or leave of absence, then an assistant principal may be assigned as acting principal for a period not to exceed 60 school days. Provides that no principal (rather than no principal who has completed 2 or more years of administrative service in the school district) may be reclassified by demotion or reduction in rank from one position within a school district to another for which a lower salary is paid without written notice from the board of the proposed reclassification by April 1 of the year in which the contract expires. Effective immediately.