North Chicago Schools: Progress and Challenges

Dr. John Price is a career educator who began teaching on the near west side of Chicago in a Catholic elementary school.  John started as a volunteer teacher and the school used his salary to provide tuition scholarships for children to attend the school.  Seeing his work as a service to the community has continued throughout his 25 years in education.  

John often says that the best job in education is the principalship.  He served as the principal of Audubon Elementary School, a Chicago Public School for 5 years.   Before leaving Audubon in 2011, the school earned the distinguished Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence from the US Department of Education in recognition for outstanding improvement of student learning.  After leaving Audubon, John moved into district leadership for Chicago Public Schools.  He served as a regional superintendent, supervising elementary and high schools for three years before leaving to become the Assistant Superintendent in Evanston, also for three years.

John has been the superintendent of the North Chicago Schools since July of 2017.  In the last four years John has focused on stabilizing the district’s leadership, and implementing aggressive instructional improvement initiatives focusing on our youngest learners.  In addition, over the past four years the district has seen improvements in teacher retention, high school graduation, and the district has run a budget surplus each year.  Working with a group of dedicated volunteers, John has helped to found the North Chicago Public Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to send every graduate of NCCHS to college without cost.  

A California native, John has lived in Chicago since 2001 with his wife, Cheryl, and two children, ages 18 and 15.

Department Accomplishments:
● Developed District Mission, Goals, and Strategic Plan
● Improved Hiring and Retention Process for all Positions
● Increased funding from state and local sources
● Implemented improved communication strategies and family engagement strategies
● Raised academic achievement

Host:  John Johnson (JJ)