Signs point to District 15 keeping Thompson long-term
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When Scott Thompson took over as Palatine Township Elementary District 15's interim superintendent in July, he said he'd jump at the opportunity to stay past his current one-year contract.
It appears as though Thompson might get his wish.
The school board is expected to approve a multiyear contract for Thompson during a special meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at Sundling Junior High, 1100 N. Smith St., Palatine.
“I'm very grateful to be here and if the board chooses to extend my stay then I'd welcome that,” Thompson said Friday without confirming or denying the proposed contract. “My leadership style fits nicely and I've felt well-received.”
School officials wouldn't disclose the details of the special meeting's agenda, which only lists the superintendent's contract as an action item to be voted on by the board.
There's been no public discussion, however, about hiring a search firm to look for a permanent head of the 12,000-student district a routine practice that would likely have started by now if the district were looking elsewhere.
And board members have spoken positively about Thompson since he replaced former Superintendent Dan Lukich. Lukich was forced to resign, without public explanation, a year before his contract expired and given $185,000 in a separation agreement.
The board supported Thompson's idea to hold a series of community engagement meetings in a process known as Navigate15. The meetings are intended to gather public input on the priorities and future direction of the district.
Thompson, who led Antioch Elementary District 34 for six years, is more than four months into a contract covering District 15's 2010-11 school year. The contract pays him about $133,350, based on a $635 per diem rate, but lacks many of the financial perks his predecessor enjoyed, including a car allowance, performance bonus, vacation or health insurance.
