D113 Seeks Public Input on Superintendent, Principal Searches

The following is from District 113:

Township High School District 113 has initiated searches to find four new administrative leaders for the 2015-16 school year: Superintendent of Schools, Principal of Deerfield High School, Principal of Highland Park High School and Director of Student Support Services for District 113. To counsel them through this important process, the District 113 Board of Education has retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting Boards with the consideration of candidates for educational leadership positions.

A key step in the process is to identify the characteristics the Board will be seeking in the new leaders, and the Board is looking for input from the community to guide them in this important task.

Community members are invited to participate in this process by completing an online survey, which can be found on the Leadership Search Updates page of the District 113 website, www.dist113.org, or by attending an open forum.

Open forums, which will be facilitated by members of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, will be held on Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m. at Deerfield High School, 1959 N. Waukegan Road, Deerfield, and on Wednesday, October 15 at 7 p.m. at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Ave., Highland Park. Both are open to all District 113 parents, staff and community members.

Community members may also choose to complete an online survey regarding the desired characteristics in the next superintendent, which will be open through Sunday, October 26. A survey for the desired characteristics in the Deerfield and Highland Park High School Principals will be conducted in November, and stakeholders will be notified when that survey is available.

In addition to the surveys and community forums, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates also will conduct focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders to inform the search. A stakeholder committee comprised of students, staff, parents and community members will be formed to interview semi-finalists for each of the leadership positions and provide their thoughts to the Board on the strengths, concerns and questions regarding each candidate. The work of these committees will be facilitated by HYA.

The goal is to identify the new superintendent by January so that he or she can be involved with the selection of the Principals and Director of Student Services, and to have the Principals and Director identified by no later than mid-March. All new administrators will begin in their roles no later than July 1, 2015.