D135 Scheduled to Pick New Superintendent in May

formally agreed Monday night to take on the Illinois Association of School Boards to help search for a new superintendent.

The first step will be to post the job opening on the district’s website, and others such as the IASB’s and that of the Illinois Association of School Administrators. A survey will also be made available to district staff and parents of district students to add feedback to the candidate search. Hard copies of the survey is expected to be sent home with students, and electronic versions will also be available through the district's website.

All present school board members voted in favor of . Members Lynne Donegan and Mary Bragg did not attend Monday's meeting.

IASB Executive Searches Consultant Dawn Miller is then expected to turn in a list of recommended superintendent candidates based on the survey and board feedback by March 5. Candidates will then be presented to the board at the March 12 meeting.

Interviews will commence through late March and April, and following a site visit, the board is scheduled to choose a superintendent in early May, Miller said.

During Monday’s meeting, Miller asked if there were any other criteria for a new superintendent that the board had in mind.

One suggestion was to add a residency requirement for the superintendent, but the person chosen could move to Orland some time after being hired.

“It’s such a specialized profession I don’t think you could limit (applicants) to just residents,” Board president John Carmody said.

Board member Tom Cunningham suggested the right candidate would have school experience “from the bottom up” having at least worked within an elementary school.

“We want someone who has come through the ranks,” Cunningham said. “Dennis (Soustek) did that and it worked out beautifully for us.”

Miller asked if any internal candidates are being considered, and if the board would want them interviewed as an automatic courtesy.

Carmody said no internal candidates are being considered at this time. The board agreed that if internal candidates do step forward, they would go through the same process as those from outside the district.

The cost to take on the IASB's services was set at no greater than $8,000.

For the full tentative search time line, refer to the attached document.

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