Black Educators Alliance Names Devon Horton Superintendent Of The Year

EVANSTON, IL — The National Alliance of Black School Educators awarded the 2022 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year award to Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton.

“I am truly honored to serve this incredible community and humbled to receive this recognition," Horton said in a statement. "It's representative of so many individuals who work tirelessly on behalf of our students every single day."

The namesake of the award and of District 65's administrative building, Joseph Hill (1923-1998) was the first Black superintendent of District 65 and a founding member of the alliance.

Hill, an Evanston native, began teaching physical education in 1953 at his former school — then-racially segregated Foster Elementary — before working his way up through administrative roles, becoming superintendent in 1975 and remaining a mentor and role model in the community.

Horton, 45, was raised in public housing on Chicago's South Side by a single mother, who he credited with putting him on track to earn post-secondary degrees. He taught in Chicago Public Schools for over a decade, a period during which he said he improved scores on standardized tests for students in the "Terror Town" neighborhood.

In 2014, he became deputy superintendent in East St. Louis, Illinois, and in 2018 became chief of schools for the Jefferson County Public School System in Louisville, Kentucky. The District 65 school board voted to hire him in December 2019, with an effective start date of July 2020 — amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois.

District staff touted Horton's work in biannual reports about his "MIRACLES continuous improvement system." The mnemonic "MIRACLES" is constructed out of the following phrases: motion toward equity; improved instructional core, relevant and rigorous course of study; attract and retain high quality staff, commitment to accountability; learning environments that support student success; establish expected targets driven by results; sound fiscal stewardship.

“When I first took on this role, I made several commitments around my passion for this work, the desire to practice what I preach and hold others accountable, and to always remain persistent in my delivery," Horton said.

"Because there are so many individuals from the Board, to our educators, and our families who share in these commitments, we continue to make meaningful progress in support of our students," the superintendent said.

Earlier this year, the district approved its first new student assignment plan in 30 years, which will include changes in attendance boundaries and a plan to build a new school in Evanston's 5th Ward, which was originally planned for the fall of 2024 but is now estimated to be complete by 2025, according to district staff.

In July 2021, district officials said Horton has received voice messages containing racial slurs and threats of bodily harm and had the window of his car broken while parked in a district lot in what appeared to be an intentional act of vandalism.

The incidents followed a lawsuit filed by part-time District 65 drama teacher Stacy Deemar, of Wilmette, who has accused the district of violating her civil rights and discriminating against her because she identifies as white. Her suit cited changes made to a 2nd grade play and insufficient discipline for children she accused of assaulting her.

In response to the threats, the district began paying nearly $50,000 a month for full-time security for Horton, racking up about a half-million dollars in bills for 24-hour "executive protection" with Skokie-based Phoenix Security. His personal security detail was reduced this summer.

Horton is set to receive the National Alliance of Black School Educators' superintendent of the year award at the alliance's 50th annual conference, scheduled for Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in National Harbor, Maryland.

"The sky's the limit and we are only getting started,” Horton said.