District 60 families and community members are invited to attend the final in-person Family Listening Tour this Saturday. The event is organized in partnership with Waukegan to College and will be held at 410 Grand Avenue, starting at 1 p.m. Both English and Spanish sessions will take place simultaneously, and parking is available on the west side of the building.
Theresa Plascencia, Superintendent of Schools for Waukegan Community Unit School District 60, thanked those who have participated in previous sessions: “Thank you to everyone who has already participated and shared their experiences, ideas, and hopes for our schools.” She also emphasized the importance of continued dialogue: “We invite families and community members to join us this weekend for the final in-person listening tour, hosted in partnership with our wonderful community partners at Waukegan to College. These sessions are an opportunity for families to share their perspectives and help guide the continued work of strengthening our schools and supporting our students.”
Participation is open to all District 60 families regardless of whether they have a child currently enrolled in Waukegan to College. Plascencia expressed appreciation for the ongoing collaboration: “We are grateful to the Waukegan to College team for hosting this final session and for their continued partnership in supporting Waukegan students and families.”
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 serves Lake County with a range of schools including elementary, middle, high school, and early learning centers. More details about these schools can be found on the Illinois Report Card website (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The district’s demographic data from the Illinois State Board of Education shows that it is predominantly Hispanic (79.5 percent), with Black students making up 13.2 percent, White students 3.2 percent, and Asian students 1.3 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In terms of staffing, there are over one thousand teachers employed by District 60 with an average salary just above $63,500; most teachers are women (71 percent), according to state records (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The district spent more than $23,000 per student during the last reported year—a total expenditure exceeding $359 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). However, challenges remain: approximately one out of five students was classified as “chronically truant” during the same period—defined as missing at least five percent of school days without valid excuse—which is higher than both state averages and many neighboring districts (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 enrolls more than fifteen thousand students across grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade within Waukegan city limits in Lake County (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Plascencia concluded her invitation by saying: “I hope you will consider joining us. I look forward to hearing from you and continuing this important conversation.”
