Granite City elementary principal, also a Freeburg school board member, resigns

Kelly Smits
·2 min read

A principal in Granite City District 9, who is also a school board member in Freeburg District 70, has resigned.

The board of education of Granite City 9 voted to accept Jayson Baker’s resignation, effective June 30, 2024, at its meeting Tuesday evening.

Baker is principal at Wilson 1-2 Education Center, an elementary school serving first and second grade students. This is his second school year in the position.

He is also a board member at Freeburg 70, an elementary school district in St. Clair County. Baker was elected in the April 2021 consolidated election for a four-year term.

Baker did not respond to requests for comment.

Chris Mitchell, manager of district communications and transportation for Granite City 9, said he could not comment on why Baker resigned because it is a personnel issue.

He said Superintendent Stephanie Cann also had no comment when asked about Baker’s tenure in Granite City.

Baker resigned with this letter to the District 9 Board:

“I was hired to be a change agent, and I am proud of the positive changes that occurred at Wilson 1-2 Education Center under my leadership.

“In the short time I was blessed to serve the families of Wilson, I facilitated the transition into new assessment programs, we adopted new Science of Reading curricula, replaced punitive discipline with restorative discipline practices, implemented a school-wide reading intervention program, and all while the Wilson campus infrastructure underwent a complete transformation.

“This school year marks the first year that every single classroom incorporated small group instruction, and that is an incredible accomplishment for Wilson.

“I have spent the last seventeen years of my life committed to excellence in public education, and it has been an honor to serve this great community and continue in my mission as a lifetime learner and leader for the last two years.

“I wish the District and Wilson 1-2 Education Center the best for the future,” Baker concluded.