Willis Wills Out

The tension between the Chicago school board and its skilled but stubborn Superintendent Benjamin C. Willis had been building for months. Last week it was Willis who snapped, turning in his resignation after ten years of efficient, scandal-free school-building service. For Willis, 61, it was no easy decision: the job pays $48,500 a year.

Willis was a not-so-innocent victim of an emotional controversy over de facto school segregation. Chicago's board insisted that something had to be done about the problem. The egotistic Willis refused to admit that there was any problem. He ignored board orders to speed up the transfer of bright students of both races, even though this was only a token move toward a better balance. Parents took Willis to court, and last week the court ruled against him. Willis quit, claiming: "I can no longer discharge my responsibilities since the present practice is counter to all the fundamentals of good board-staff relationships in public education."

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