Ericka Patterson, the associate superintendent of Park Forest-Chicago Heights Elementary District 163, was selected Monday to replace acting Superintendent Joyce Carmine.
A longtime employee of the district, Patterson will replace Carmine on May 1, for a three-year term at an annual salary of $213,870, officials said.
Patterson is a graduate of Lindblom High School in Chicago and the University of Illinois. She began her three decades of teaching in classrooms in Urbana, llinois and the Mequon-Thiensville school district in Wisconsin. She then spent two years at Matteson Elementary District 162 before coming to the District 163, where she was a principal of childhood and middle grade schools before becoming director of reading. She was named associate superintendent in 2018.
Patterson earned a master’s of science degree in educational administration from Governors State University in 2015, and a doctorate of education degree focusing on administration from Roosevelt University in 2018.
District 163 has six schools in both Park Forest and Chicago Heights with an enrollment of 1,531 students, a staff of 314 and an average class size of 32.
Patterson said the district holds a special place in her heart because of the incredible students, staff and parents.
“The dedication, resilience and passion for education within my SD163 family have shaped my journey, and I am committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed, grow, and reach their full potential,” she said.
She thanked the board for the opportunity and what she called their unwavering commitment to putting students first.
Patterson’s appointment may not quiet complaints by area residents about salaries paid to superintendents in an area with one of the highest property tax rates in the state.
In recent years, District 163 was beset by a series of financial problems dating back to 2017, when then Carmine retired as superintendent and was replaced by Caletha White. Carmine’s salary was $398,229, which according to the watchdog group Open the Books, made her the highest paid superintendent in the state, and one who in retirement would receive a pension of nearly $300,000.
At her hiring, White’s salary was announced as $182,462. At the same time, the board approved hiring Carmine as a “mentor” to White at $1,200 a day for 100 days a year she could legally work, since Illinois law, forbids state employees from returning to work as the same full-time job.
In 2023, the school board with two changes, newcomer Kimberly Elmore-Perkins and Margaret McDannel, a veteran board member who regained a seat after a loss in 2021, voted to “re-assign” White and installed Carmine as “acting superintendent,” although under the law, she was limited to serving only 100 days a year at $1,200 a day. Carmine later announced she would work for $750 a day.
Elmore-Perkins objected to the process used for Patterson’s appointment. Just before the board moved into a closed session to consider the appointment, Elmore-Perkins decried what she said was both “a lack of due diligence” and the absence of a “thorough search” by the board.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.