D-86 Board Silent On Criticism Of Superintendent

HINSDALE, IL — The voting records of Hinsdale High School District 86 board members are clear: They have supported both Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and former board President Nancy Pollak.

However, only one board member publicly defended Prentiss when Pollak declared on Facebook that the superintendent was the district's problem.

Keith Chval, whose term is expiring this month, responded to Pollak on Facebook, saying Prentiss has done a good job. Member Erik Held "liked" Chval's comment.

Early last week, Patch emailed the remaining school board members through their public accounts to get their response to Pollak's criticism. No one responded.

Those board members include board President Kevin Camden, Marty Turek and Tamakia Edwards, who lost their bids for new terms in the April 6 election. The others are Held, Kathleen Hirsman and Cynthia Hanson, who remain on the board.

Pollak's criticism came before the board meeting two weeks ago and a day after the election, but no one spoke in Prentiss' defense during the session. The board meets again Thursday, the last scheduled meeting before the new term begin.

This is at least the second time that board members have not responded to a Patch question about a school board issue. In February 2020, Patch asked all board members about Camden's announcement that he would cut off all email communications with constituents. Patch inquired whether they had a similar policy. None responded.

The record shows that the board unanimously elected Pollak as its president after the April 2019 election. Pollak resigned effective immediately in late June 2020, with Camden praising her service. By all public appearances, Pollak was united with Prentiss and the board. Her Facebook posts show she was a supporter of Camden and the other incumbents in the April 6 election.

Shortly before the April 2019 election, the board unanimously approved Prentiss as the new superintendent, starting in July of that year. In November 2020, the board voted for a three-year contract for Prentiss, keeping her pay at $250,000 a year.

In post-election interviews two weeks ago, the winners — Jeff Waters, Peggy James, Debbie Levinthal and Terri Walker — did not indicate how they would handle Prentiss' future with the district. But they took exception to board-approved changes to the science and math curriculums during Prentiss' tenure.