The first day of school was two months away and already the new principal looked like a bust. After a national search, in April 2006 the Waukegan school board had picked Edward Guerra to head up Waukegan High School. Guerra had been the longtime principal at Chicago’s Farragut High School, where he was credited with reducing violence and absenteeism. But in June 2006 the Chicago Tribune revealed that Guerra was the target of a grade-fixing investigation involving star athletes at Farragut.
A group of Waukegan parents organized a town hall meeting so residents could confront Guerra. He shrugged off the allegations, and he fielded other questions with been-there, can-do aplomb. Yes, I will make Waukegan High School safe, just as I made Farragut among the safest public schools in Chicago, he said. No, I won’t practice zero tolerance—I’ll practice “subzero” tolerance. Yes, I do plan to install metal detectors and X-ray machines, conduct random locker searches, and have canine units patrol the halls. Yes, I will put gang members and drug pushers on notice. Yes, I will promote college attendance and raise academic expectations. No, I won’t dismantle the band and college studies programs. No, it’s not acceptable that some teachers and administrators think Waukegan kids aren’t cut out for college...