The District 153 school board hired the School Exec Connect search firm to help it find the district’s next superintendent.
The board approved a $19,500 contract with expenses on Monday, March 10, with the national search and consulting firm based in Oak Park. The board interviewed three firms before making its decision.
The official search process will begin in August. Residents will be invited to provide information through a survey. The firm also will conduct meetings with parents.
The board expects to have a new superintendent named by the end of December. Superintendent Scott McAlister has been serving as the top district administrator since 2021 when the board awarded him a five-year contract.
He served as assistant superintendent for the 2020-2021 school year alongside Superintendent Dale Mitchell who was transitioning into retirement. That also was the year schools closed due to the COVID pandemic. Despite no students being present, McAlister remembered it as a very busy time trying to meet all the health and safety requirements as well as keeping the district’s academic programs going.
McAlister taught government and economics at Munster High School and then accepted a position as an economics teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He was promoted to assistant principal at H-F. He came to District 153 to serve as principal at James Hart School. He held that position for seven years before moving into the assistant superintendent’s job.
In other business, the board accepted the FY2024 audit. Jennifer Decker from Wipfli accounting services presented an unmodified audit, classified as a clean audit meeting all state requirements.
The board heard from several parents raising concerns about bullying at James Hart and racist comments that impacted a second grader at Willow School. One mother raised concerns about how her daughter’s special needs were classified by the Special Education Department.
Several parents also raised concerns about late buses asking how the bus company is held accountable for what they termed as poor service. Board President Shelly Marks said the district does its best to work with Kickert Bus Co. about on-time service. She said parents should contact the district with concerns that then can be brought to the bus company for attention.