Beth Samuels, assistant principal at East Elementary, was recognized on Apr. 24 at the Zion-Benton Township High School Board Meeting for her dedication to the community. Samuels was commended for her work teaching an adult English as a Second Language class at ZBTHS, which supports education across age groups.
The recognition highlights efforts by educators in Zion Elementary School District 6 to serve diverse needs in their community. The district includes Beulah Park Elementary School, East Elementary School, Elmwood Elementary School, Lakeview School, Shiloh Park Elementary School, West Elementary School and Zion Central Middle School according to the Illinois Report Card.
Zion Elementary School District 6 serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and is located in Zion and Lake County. The district enrolled 2,483 students during the 2019-2020 school year according to state data. Demographically, the student body is made up of approximately 4.9 percent White students, 36.6 percent Black students, 50.9 percent Hispanic students and 0.2 percent Asian students as reported by ISBE.
In terms of staffing and resources, there are a total of 164 teachers in the district earning an average salary of $58,629 before pension contributions; women make up about four-fifths of this group while men comprise roughly one-fifth according to ISBE data. No teacher recorded more than ten absences in a school year.
Financially, the district spent $27,927 per student in 2020 with total expenditures reaching $69 million according to official figures. In attendance matters during that same year, there were 179 chronically truant students—defined as missing five percent or more of required school days without valid excuse—which represented a rate of about seven percent compared with a statewide average of nearly ten percent as reported by ISBE.
The continued recognition of staff like Samuels underscores ongoing efforts within District 6 to address educational needs among both children and adults.
