District Communication

D75 Superintendent’s Message
June 2025

The 2024-25 school year was a period full of accomplishments, a time of change, and a starting point toward building an even brighter future for our students.

We’re so proud of the following accomplishments:

  • Our team at Washington helped our students show tremendous growth on the STAR assessment in the area of math. The STAR assessment measures how far students have shown growth in various subjects. From the fall to the spring this past school year, more than 40 percent of Washington students experienced high growth in math. During the same period in the previous year, 26 percent had high growth. That’s a 14 percent improvement in math in one year.
  • Carl Sandburg Middle School’s 8th Grade Symphonic Band was named 2025 Honor Band at the SuperState Band Festival, putting them at the top of the list of best middle school bands in the state. Their success is sure to have reverberations throughout School District 75. Not only will CSMS receive an automatic invitation to perform at next year’s SuperState Band Festival, but younger students will now aspire for something they might not have considered in the past. 
  • Mechanics Grove Principal Tanya Fergus was honored in May as part of the Illinois State Board of Education’s “Those Who Excel Awards.” She received an Award of Special Recognition in the category of school administrators - one of only a few Lake County administrators to receive the award this year.

We have great expectations after setting in place these building blocks for the future:

  • Members of our K-5 faculty and D75 administrators worked hard on researching and testing a new math curriculum, choosing Eureka Math Squared as the new primary resource for math instruction from kindergarten through fifth grade. Washington and Mechanics Grove will begin using the new math resource in the fall. A supplemental math resource,  Number Corner (third edition), will also be used.
  • In March, we began building a new stage at Carl Sandburg Middle School. The L-shaped addition on the school’s southeast side will include a handicapped accessible stage, dressing rooms and storage. The estimated capacity will be about 200, similar to the size of the Lincoln School stage. The gymnasium near the school office will remain in place and serve as a seating area for performances.

The excited about changes moving forward: 

  • In February, the School Board hired Dr. Lilli Melamed to serve as the next principal at Washington Early Learning Center beginning July 1. Interim Principal, Dr. Gabrielle Devlin, will step back into her role in District 75’s Teaching and Learning Department. 
  • Also in February, the Board selected Dr. Corey Tafoya as the next superintendent (for both D75 and D120) as I begin my retirement. Corey will fit in well with the School Board, staff and District 75 community. He joins a team here that is second-to-none, and is well-prepared to lead us into a bright future in District 75.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Myers
Superintendent, District 75