Maria Dunstan
Maria Dunstan, a past graduate of the ACI program at Western Illinois University, has been with the Macomb CUSD #185 since 1979. In these 28 years, Maria has had a “very satisfying career in education.” She also stated that “All of my educational experiences from the classroom to the central office have been excellent.” On June 30, 2007, though, Maria will be retiring from the educational field, and looks forward to spending her time at her family’s cabin in Minnesota.
Over the years, Maria has had to deal with several problems that are common in today’s school system. The most taxing of any problems in the work-place, according to Maria, are any issues which involve personnel. Maria found this out when she was involved in a 2 ½ year long case involving releasing a veteran employee, and the litigation that followed. She found that this process will have a good ending as long as the school district always follows the strict guidelines of using excellent documentation and following all legal procedures throughout the entire dismissal process. Maria believes that “documentation and following the laws with regard to dismissal are the keys to successfully terminating an employee.” It takes more than these two formal ideas, though. Maria also believes that the main ingredient to any proceeding is determination. She stated that those involved must have determination, and behind this must also be the support of the board of education.
Maria is married to a retired Western Illinois University Biology professor, Tom, and has two children. Her daughter, Kristin, is the marketing director for Western, and her son is a film writer in Los Angeles.