It is a new day in District 205. On July 1, the Board of Education has the privilege of welcoming Mr. Dave Pruneau as our superintendent. He comes to us from Rochester, Michigan, bringing years of experience in a community much like Elmhurst. We are excited to have him here.

We also welcome several new individuals to assist Mr. Pruneau: Mr. Chris Whelton, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations; Dr. Charles Johns, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction; and our own Mr. Brad Hillman as the new Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. We have filled the vacancies of several school principals and a York High School assistant principal too. Many of the new team have already been getting to know each other and meeting with our excellent staff. Over the summer, District 205 facilities are being cleaned and repaired, through the hard work of our maintenance and custodial staff; our tech staff is gearing up for another new year; and our teachers are off attending classes and honing their skills. In addition, our finances are in order, and our budget is balanced.

The new District 205 Board has spent several meetings in training and is also ready to begin the work of governing with a focus on the future, on results, and on continuous improvement. We stand ready, with Mr. Pruneau, to define our community values, create a vision for our school organization, and make that vision a reality.

While we are seeing many changes in our district, I like to look at them from the perspective of Ben Franklin who said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” We, in District 205, are starting a new day, eager and prepared to embrace this change. What has not changed is our end goal: to strive today and every day to create the best educational environment for all of our children. They are our shared future, our tomorrow.

Respectfully,

Susan DeRonne
President of the Board of Education