Riverside School District 96 has a new director of teaching and learning as well as a new principal at Blythe Park Elementary School.
The Board of Education May 6 unanimously approved Casimira Gorman as the new director of teaching and learning, replacing Angela Dolezal, who departed in late March under hazy circumstances.
Gorman, principal at Blythe Park School for the past 12 years, will be replaced by Christopher Reid, who has served as a pupil service administrator in Community Consolidated School District 181 in the Hinsdale area for the past eight years.
District Superintendent Dr. Martha Ryan-Toye said there were more than 50 applicants for the director of teaching and learning position. Gorman, who served as an interim in that position upon Dolezal’s departure, is finishing her doctorate.
She says she’s excited to get started full-time.
“There are so many aspects of this role, but it’s important to look at how all the pieces work together as a system,” Gorman said. “We’re doing an advanced learning renewal right now and that aligns with our core programming. All those pieces have to sit together for the bigger picture to come into realization.
“Each part of what I do works as a system. When I filled in this spring, it was one of the responsibilities I was given to move this curricular committee forward.”
Blythe Park School was named an Exemplary school by the 2024-25 Illinois Report Card under Gorman’s leadership.
“I think that is one of the important things about any school with high achievement,” Ryan-Toye said, “the value of consistency and value of work with your teachers, to have the trust with your teacher colleagues, as teachers strive to improve [their] instruction, students present different needs and challenges.
“She has great skills, technical skills around instructional needs, [and] she’s also provided a lot of professional support and growth for teachers inside and outside the classroom.”
Gorman said her immediate goal is to support the advanced learning renewal, which she said focuses on “how we are casting a wider net and providing more enrichment opportunities.” She’ll also focus on a standard space report card, where Illinois Learning Standards will be noted and teachers will assess specifically how students are performing on a given goal.
She’ll also watch with intent the construction of the school’s new playground.
As for Reid, Ryan-Toye said he was chosen from a pool of around 40 applicants.
“Chris was interviewed by a fairly large team, and I think what really stood out was his overall demeanor and connectedness to the team,” she said. “Climate culture is important to him and we know that is key. Being a connector and a strong collaborator is a strength of his.”
Stepping into an Exemplary school situation may sound challenging, but Ryan-Toye said Reid is up to that challenge.
“I think he was well-read about our [Illinois] Report Card and the strengths of Blythe School and he spoke to that in his interview,” she said. “I am very confident he understands a high-functioning and successful school. Casimira makes sure she mentors and guides, one of the most important aspects of our job is support at the building level and support that principal.”
Reid will start July 1. Gorman offered a piece of advice to him about being successful at Blythe Park School:
“The relationship piece in this community is really important,” she said. “From what I know about Chris so far, I don’t think he’ll struggle with that.”