Carol Baker, a former principal at George Washington Middle School and a former superintendent and assistant superintendent for Lyons School District 103, has filed a federal lawsuit against the district she once led alleging sex and age discrimination after she was stripped of her assistant superintendent title in 2022 and offered a lower salary to remain as principal of GWMS. Baker declined the offer and instead retired.
On Jan.24, Baker won a preliminary round in the case after United States District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber denied D103’s attempt to dismiss the case.
Baker, now a science education consultant, claimed that she was a victim of sex and age discrimination in 2022 when, after serving two years in the dual role of assistant superintendent and principal at GWMS, the assistant superintendent position was eliminated, and she was offered a significantly lower salary to remain as principal at GWMS.
Baker chose not to accept the lower salary to remain as principal and D103 hired Joshua Dakins, a younger man, to replace her. Baker alleged that Dakins was allowed to negotiate his salary while she was told that the salary offered to her was non-negotiable.
Baker served as the superintendent of D103 for two years, from 2016 until 2018. In 2018, Baker left the district to take a job as an assistant superintendent for academics and chief academic officer at Hinsdale Township High School District 86. After two years there, her contract was not renewed, and she returned to District 103 during the summer of 2020 as the principal of GWMS. She also was given the title of assistant superintendent, which was a newly created position. Her salary for the 2020-21 school year was $129,000.
In March 2022, Baker was informed that the assistant superintendent position was being eliminated and was offered what Leinenweber referred to a “significant reduction in salary” that was non-negotiable to remain as principal. Baker rejected the offer and chose to retire early. Dakins was hired during the summer of 2022 and was paid $126,087 to serve as principal at GWMS and the district’s athletic director. The principal portion of his salary was $117,000. Dakins now serves as the district’s director of safety, as well as the principal at GWMS.
In October 2022, Baker filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that Dakins received a higher salary than she was offered to remain as GWMS principal even though Dakins was less experienced and had fewer educational credentials than Baker. In July 2023, the EEOC issued a right to sue letter to Baker, which meant that the EEOC had done all it could to resolve the case and gives the complainant the right to file a lawsuit. Four days after receiving the letter, Baker filed her federal lawsuit against District 103 that alleges discrimination on the basis of age and sex.
D103 Supt. Kristopher Rivera did not reply to a request for comment. Baker supplied the name of the law firm representing her, but otherwise declined to comment.
Leinenweber, who last year presided over the bribery and corruption trial that resulted in the conviction of the former chief executive officer of ComEd and three lobbyists in a scheme to bribe and curry favor with former House Speaker Mike Madigan, did not delve into the merits of the case in his ruling, but ruled that Baker had alleged enough to warrant going forward with the case.
