by Ciyandra Riley Davis
On February 2, 2026, Clemente High School held a candidate forum where two finalists for principal introduced themselves and answered questions from students and staff.
The first candidate, Doniesha Johnson, talked about her years of experience in Chicago Public Schools. She said she worked as a CPS vendor from 2015 to 2020. After that, she worked at Little Village High School, where she took on multiple roles and helped lead the volleyball team to two conference titles. She left Little Village in 2023. Johnson said her colleagues encouraged her to keep moving forward, so she completed a principal internship at a CPS elementary school. In 2024, she came to Clemente as an Assistant Principal.
The second candidate, Eric Flores, started by sharing his background. He said he comes from two immigrant families—Puerto Rican and Polish—and growing up in Chicago shaped how he thinks about community and support. Flores also described studying internationally, including time in schools in Japan. Later, he became an IB history teacher and gained more experience working in the International Baccalaureate program.
After the introductions, the candidates answered questions. One major question was: “How will you care for the emotional needs of parents, staff, students, and teachers?”
Johnson answered first. She said emotional support starts with building real relationships and being present. She emphasized an “open door policy,” meaning students, staff, and families should feel comfortable coming to her whenever they need help. She also said it’s important that everyone feels valued and seen.
Flores said he would build systems to track academic progress so the school can clearly see where support is needed. He also focused on teacher mental health, saying staff burnout is real and has to be taken seriously. For family-related issues, he said community outreach matters and promised to be prepared for future crises.
This article covers only the first part of the forum. The Local School Council is still discussing, and the final decision has not been announced yet.
