Schools

What Does Glen Giannetti's Retirement Mean for Bloom District 206? Let's Talk

He was a math teacher and a superintendent to two school districts rooted in Chicago Heights.

Upon hearing news that Supt. Glen Giannetti's retirement had been accepted by the Bloom 206 Board of Education, I recalled my past conversations and interviews with the former math teacher.

Even though we've been around less than a year, Giannetti made his way into a few Patch stories.

He was the first to participate in "The Tough Questions," a video segment in which I asked user-submitted questions that were sometimes cutting and even accusatory. He handled it well, even when asked about his salary, which has long been a topic of conversation.

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Take a look at the original Tough Questions video, which has been uploaded to this article.

In his last year with the district, Giannetti was questioned (by yours truly) about the recent conflicts between new District 206 board president Henry Drake and longtime board member Robert Rossi.

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Giannetti said he was used to the head butting, and that it is common for some contention to arise whenever a new board president is appointed.

 

Finally, Giannetti himself was the subject of conversation when Patch broke a story that revealed he had donated money from District 206 pop machine revenue to South Chicago Heights Mayor David Owen's political campaign.

Giannetti said he didn't see a problem with the donations and that he was supporting Owen for helping get Chicago water to .

Through it all, Giannetti was always cooperative when I asked him questions, not once giving me the classic "no comment" statement. He was a frequent reader and supporter of Patch and always had positive things to say about our work, despite normally having a contentious relationship with the media.

Here's the question: What did you think of Glen Giannetti? Was he your favorite math teacher? Was he a respectable superintendent? Did you disagree with the decisions he made?

Let's talk about that the Glen Giannetti's retirement means for the future of District 206. Will he be missed or are you ready for a change?


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