They just can’t keep Dennis Soustek away.

Orland School District 135 board members want to keep the former superintendent working as a consultant while they seek a permament superintendent to helm the district.

Soustek was superintendent from 2006 to 2010. He came out of retirement in January to work as interim superintendent after Paul Howell moved back to the curriculum department. Soustek worked just under the maximum 100 business days between January and June, and considered serving as acting super for another 100-day stint after the board was not able to hire a permanent superintendent by July. He declined and the board hired Carol Kunst in June as interim superintendent.

But since Kunst plans on applying for the permanent position, D135 board members said they wanted to bring Soustek back as a consultant for $60 an hour during Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The board will formally vote on it during its Sept. 10 meeting.

Soustek told the board he would likely not work more than 100 hours on the project and it would be up to the board to decide how much they use him.

“If you want more involvement or less involvement from me, that’s fine,” he said. “There are four applications so far and I haven’t looked at them yet.”

Kunst said she would apply before the Sept. 21 deadline, which is why Soustek was kept on board.

“There are some tasks a superintendent or interim superintendent perform during searches that Carol can’t perform be because she is applying,” Board President John Carmody said. “Dennis is going to fill in that void. He could be in when we conduct interviews but he can’t ask questions. He’s really augmenting the process.”

Kunst, who holds six college degrees and was a recent superintendent of Burbank School District 111, said she has enjoyed her time working with D135 and hopes to make it a long-term venture.

“I love this area,” she said. “I’m very familiar with the dynamics of the Orland Park and Orland Hills communities. I’ve spent a lot of time in the area and my children participated in some programs here. I’m excited about being here.”

New School Year's Budget

Assistant Superintendent for Business Services John Reiniche unveiled the tentative budget for the year, calling for spending $76.7 million with $77.1 expected in revenues.

The past school year called for $73.9 million and two years ago it was $70.8.

The bulk of the budget is $43 million for salaries.

Technology spending is planned to be higher than years past, but not as much as last year. Reiniche said that in the past, $300,000 was usually budgeted for technology. Last year, it spiked to $750,000 and this year it’s $620,000. New computers and software will be eating a large chunk of that figure, he said.

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Looking for more school news?

• D135 Board Assembles Superintendent Requirements (Live Blog Transcript)
• D135 Looking for Superintendent to Appoint by December
• D135 Taking Superintendent Hiring Back Into Own Hands