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New 186 Superintendent: What Will It Cost?
Dr. Milton's out at the end of the month. You know it won't be free to replace him, but the board hasn't even figured out how they want to go about doing it. The school board on Monday decided to start moving forward with the initial stages of the new superintendent search.
There are many people--including members of the NAACP-- who want to be a part of it. District 186 School Board members Judy Johnson and Scott McFarland will head up the new search. Both are running again in the April election. Neither is facing any competition.
"We decided that we're going to definitely include the community in the discussion," Johnson said.
This will be the third superintendent search since Johnson's been on the board. She admits the last search in 2007 wasn't as transparent as it could've been.
"The last couple processes-- I don't think the community has had input until after the basic selection," she said.
In 2007, he board paid search firm Ray and Associates to head up the nationwide hunt. The initial 179 applicants were narrowed down to 64. Eleven of them made it to the board's table, and the community felt excluded.
"All kids have to be educated," NAACP Vice President Archie Lawrence said. "And if you don't have the sensitivity toward educating kids of diverse backgrounds then that means they will continue to slide. And besides that, we need role models."
He said more than a third of the district is African-American. District 186 is operating under a federal consent decree, requiring minority employment. The NAACP is asking that three African Americans be appointed to the superintendent search committee.
"Based upon the board now, lately they haven't been as transparent as they ought to be," Lawrence said. "And we want to ensure that it is--that the process is transparent, that the process is fair."
Ray and Associates, the company District 186 hired in 2007, was reportedly paid $31,000 that year to head up the Madison, Wis. search that netted Dr. Walter Milton as a candidate for the job. Johnson can't say if they'll use that firm again, but she's against using the Illinois Association of School Administrators, which is likely a cheaper alternative.
Meanwhile, the NAACP isn't necessarily asking for an African-American superintendent, but they are asking for someone who understands diversity. Johnson said once the board narrows down how they'll conduct the search, we will have a better of idea of what exactly it will cost. While McFarland and Johnson will get the ball rolling on the superintendent search, the hire will be made by the new District 186 School Board.
The candidates are meeting again Friday morning (March 22) for a forum at the Hoogland Center. Breakfast starts at 7:30, and the forum starts at 8.
