D135 Taking Superintendent Hiring Back Into Own Hands

Orland School District 135 board of education members got their first look at a tentative timeline for hiring a permanent superintendent.

Details of the search have not been released, but the approach is expected to be different than the most recent search, , according to board president John Carmody.

This time, the board will be picking their own top candidates from the entire pool of applicants.

“It’s a much longer process. It asks more of each board member,” Carmody said. “But it worked out fantastically when we hired Dennis (Soustek). I was never fully comfortable with not knowing who all applied and not getting to see possibly good candidates.”

When Paul Howell stepped the district took on services from the IASB to find a permanent super, while Dennis Soustek resumed his former superintendent role in interim during the search.

But the board could .

The hope in starting a search around when the school year begins, which is when more candidates start applying for superintendent positions, will be more fruitful, Carmody said.

“This time we’re following a more traditional process,” Carmody said. “We should have a real large pool of candidates and I think we’ll be able to make real strong decisions.”

During Monday night’s meeting, board member Tom Cunningham asked what credentials they would be looking for in candidates. Carmody said the standards would be similar to the recent search, unless any board members had new suggestions.

New administrators for Centennial School and Jerling Junior High got the official thumbs up from the board Monday night.

David Kennedy and Jennifer Nichols are now Jerling’s new principal and assistant principal, respectively. .

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