Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 announced on Mar. 31 several leadership changes for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, affecting Beach Park Middle School, Howe Elementary, and Oak Crest Elementary.
The district said these transitions are designed to match specific expertise with the unique needs of each school and support student growth. The changes include new appointments and internal promotions among principals and assistant principals.
At Beach Park Middle School, a co-principal model will be implemented. Ray Porten will join as principal, working alongside Chris Anderson, who is moving from Howe Elementary to serve as co-principal. Heather Eickmeyer will transition from dean to assistant principal at the middle school. At Howe Elementary, Jennifer Convey will move from Oak Crest to become principal due to Anderson’s transfer. For Oak Crest Elementary, Alexa Young has been promoted from assistant principal to principal, while Brooke Turk joins as assistant principal with experience in special education.
Superintendent Dr. Denise Wilcox said in a statement: “A school district is more than just buildings; it is a community of people dedicated to the growth and success of our children.” She also wrote: “By strategically aligning our leaders’ strengths from special education advocacy to dual language expertise we are ensuring that our ‘human capital’ is invested exactly where it can have the greatest impact on your child’s education.” Wilcox emphasized ongoing commitment by saying: “While these changes represent a new chapter, our mission remains unchanged: providing a safe, equitable, and high achieving environment for every student.” The district plans “Meet the Leadership” events at each affected school in coming weeks.
The district represents Lake County schools including Beach Park Middle School, Howe Elementary School, Kenneth Murphy School, Newport Elementary School and Oak Crest School according to Illinois Report Card. It enrolled 2,093 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade during the 2019-2020 academic year according to Illinois Report Card.
District data shows that Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 spent $22,192 per student in 2020 with total expenditures reaching $46 million as reported by Illinois Report Card. The teacher workforce includes 149 teachers earning an average salary of $63,553; nearly four out of five teachers are women according to Illinois Report Card. Demographically the student body is comprised of approximately 54 percent Hispanic students along with White (16 percent), Black (22 percent), and Asian (2 percent) populations according to Illinois Report Card.
Chronic truancy was reported at an 8.7 percent rate for Beach Park students during the last available reporting period—lower than the statewide average—meaning about one in twelve students missed five percent or more days without valid excuse as defined by state records.
Wilcox concluded her message by thanking families for their partnership: “Thank you for your partnership and for your continued trust in our District.”
