Families and community members joined Superintendent Dr. Julious Lawson for Zion Elementary School District 6’s Late Day Dialogue on April 24, fostering open communication between the district and its community.
The event aimed to strengthen relationships and promote transparency between the school district administration and those it serves. According to the district, the evening was designed to encourage dialogue about issues affecting students, teachers, and families.
Zion Elementary School District 6 represents several schools in Lake County, including 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 Illinois Report Card. The district serves grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and enrolled 2,483 students during the 2019-2020 school year. It is located in Zion and Lake County according to Illinois Report Card.
Demographic data shows that Zion Elementary School District 6 is comprised of approximately 4.9 percent White students, 36.6 percent Black students, 50.9 percent Hispanic students, and 0.2 percent Asian students according to Illinois Report Card. The district employed a total of 164 teachers earning an average salary of $58,629 before pension contributions; women make up more than four-fifths of teaching staff while men account for just under one-fifth. No teachers had more than ten absences in a school year according to Illinois Report Card.
In terms of financials and student attendance issues: Zion spent $27,927 per student in the year 2020 for a total expenditure of $69 million as reported by Illinois Report Card. During that same period there were reportedly179 chronically truant students—defined as missing five percent or more of mandated days without valid excuse—resulting in a chronic truancy rate of about seven percent; this remains below the statewide average which stands at nearly ten percent according to Illinois Report Card.
District officials say events like Late Day Dialogue provide opportunities for ongoing engagement with families as they continue efforts toward improvement across all schools.
