Joan M. Raymond (February 1, 1936 – February 22, 2017) was a school district superintendent. She was such of Houston Independent School District (HISD) from 1986,McAdams, Donald R. ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston''. Teachers College Press, 2000. , 9780807738849. p
1
until 1991,McAdams, Donald R. ''Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools-- and Winning!: Lessons from Houston''. Teachers College Press, 2000. , 9780807738849. p
2
as well as for the

Yonkers Public Schools Yonkers Public Schools is a school district that serves all of Yonkers, New York, United States. It is governed by a mayorally appointed Board of Trustees. Organization The school district is organized and governed according to New York State ...

, Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205, and the South Bend Community School Corporation. She originated from the

Northern United States The Northern United States, commonly referred to as the American North, the Northern States, or simply the North, is a geographical or historical region of the United States. History Early history Before the 19th century westward expansion, the "N ...

, and matriculated from Ripon College (bachelor's in liberal arts),

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

(master's degree in history), and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

(PhD in school administration).

Career

Her first job in the education sector was for

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...

, where she served as a teacher, then as a guidance counselor, and in 1979, in administrative areas including being the assistant superintendent. From 1979 to 1986 she served as the superintendent of

. She began her term as HISD superintendent circa September 1986, replacing

Billy Reagan Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a young ...

.Curtis, Gregory. "Behind the Lines: Mrs. Spates and Dr. Raymond" '' Texas Monthly''. September 1987. Volume 5, Issue 9. ISSN 0148-7736. Start: p
5
CITED: p. 5. Former HISD board member Donald R. McAdams described Raymond as "smart, informed, and decisive", and that the majority of the HISD board and business leaders in Houston approved of her. In 1985 the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

had downgraded the accreditation of HISD, but the district, under her leadership, recovered its accreditation. In addition, the district, by June and July 1987, the district had a $30 million surplus despite general budget issues in the state at the time. McAdams added that Raymond "had to be in control of everything she touched", and that "intimidation" was a feature of her tenure. Elizabeth Spates, an African-American board member, opposed Raymond, stating that she was a "hireling" and that she could not adapt to the culture of the Southern United States. Raymond initiated the concept of

The Rice School The Rice School ( es, La Escuela Rice) is a K-8 school (the school serves grades kindergarten through 8) in Houston, Texas. Rice is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The Rice School is an HISD magnet school for a Science, ...

, which opened in 1994. Raymond was voted out by Rod Paige,
Clipping of first
an
of second page
/ref> Felix Fraga, Wiley Henry, and other board members. Tim Fleck of the '' Houston Press'' wrote that the board members were "fed up with her abrasive style of management". Former board member Don McAdams stated that the board, when voting, felt pressure since there was fear that "If we tried to fire her and failed, HISD would be in chaos." Paige later gave more favorable statements about Raymond after he served as superintendent himself.
Clipping of first
an
of second page
at Newspapers.com. Paige stated that he had a "stronger" view of her in retrospect. In 2000 ''

South Bend Tribune The ''South Bend Tribune'' is a daily newspaper and news website which is based in South Bend, Indiana. It is distributed in South Bend, Mishawaka, north central Indiana, and southwestern Michigan. It has been named as a "Blue Ribbon Newspaper" ...

'' wrote that by then, in the leadership in that district, "even critics have come to appreciate her wisdom." From 1991 to 1993 she served as superintendent of two different school districts in the Chicago area:

Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 is a school district based in Lake Villa, Lake County, Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolita ...

and

River Forest Public Schools River Forest Public Schools District 90 is a school district headquartered in River Forest, Illinois in the suburbs of Chicago. There are three schools in the district: Lincoln Elementary School, Willard Elementary School, and Roosevelt Middle Sch ...

. In 1993 she became the superintendent of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205, with her terms ending in 1999. The school board voted to confirm Raymond with four in favor and three against. In Elmhurst she helped convince voters to pass a referendum for a school bond. In 2000 she became the superintendent of the South Bend Community School Corporation. She had intended to retire, but heard about the South Bend position from friends. Under her leadership she changed attendance boundaries as part of the "Plan Z" program and facilitated construction of new school facilities. She left her position in 2006 after announcing she would retire the previous year. She chose to move to Melbourne, Florida. Circa 2016 she developed cancer, and died in her residence, in Melbourne on February 22, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, Joan 1936 births School superintendents in New York (state) Houston Independent School District superintendents Ripon College (Wisconsin) alumni DePaul University alumni Northwestern University alumni 2017 deaths School superintendents in Indiana School superintendents in Illinois