OPRF high school hires curriculum director from Homewood-Flossmoor

OPRF high school officials looked to under-performing Homewood-Flossmoor high school to refill the role of assistant superintendent of curriculum.

School officials announced at a June 12, 2025 board meeting they had hired Jennifer Hester Schalk at a salary of $195,000 effective July 1, 2025.  Hester succeeds Laurie Fiorenza who tendered her resignation without explanation in May 2025. 

Jennifer Hester Schalk held the title Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning at Homewood-Flossmoor high school district 233 since July 2020. U.S. News and World Report reports that high school ranked #363 among Illinois high schools compared to the OPRF high school at #42. 

According to local media, Hester Schalk previously worked one year as an education consultant for Public Consulting Group, and before that as chief academic officer at Naperville district 203 for eight years ending 2019. 

Below is a table of quality metrics for both high schools taken directly from the Illinois State Board of Education report card. Most notably, Hester Schalk’s former students at Homewood Flossmoor had an average proficiency of 26.1% and 17.8% in ELA and math, respectively, and a graduation rate of 95.3%. 

A smaller gap in achievement between black and white students at Homewood-Flossmoor (HWFM) compared to OPRF is explained by lower overall achievement at HWFM. Black students at HWFM lagged behind their OPRF counterparts by 6-7%, while white students at HWFM lagged behind their OPRF counterparts by 21-24%. The 2024 student body of HWFM was 73.6% black and 12.3% white. The 2024 student body of OPRF was 19% black and 51.8% white.

In the 2024 Illinois 5Essentials Survey OPRF teachers rated their Instructional Leadership ‘very weak’ (16th percentile in IL) whereas Homewood-Flossmoor teachers gave a ‘weak’ score (27th percentile in IL). 

Both schools have made diversity, equity, and inclusion a top priority. Like, OPRF high school, Homewood-Flossmoor reports detracking curricula and implementing Integrated Math.  Earlier this year the Homewood-Flossmoor school board reviewed a proposal that would eliminate class rank and replace it with distinction awards.

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