advertisement

Pay not biggest hurdle in search for superintendent

The governor’s ambivalence toward paying for regional offices of education may have caused the McHenry County Regional Superintendent of Education — and the person elected to replace him — to vacate their posts early.

But McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler says although funding for the office is in flux, the list of qualifications may create more of a challenge in the county’s search for a new regional education leader.

At Tuesday’s county board meeting, Koehler said a search committee consisting of education and county leaders would head up the search to replace Superintendent-elect Joe Williams, who announced he would not take over the office in July.

Williams, 41, a Republican from Huntley, was elected in November to replace the retiring Gene Goeglein. But Williams, who ran unopposed, said Gov. Quinn’s move to trim the salaries of regional superintendents and assistants by 9.2 percent was a factor in his decision.

“We were facing salaries being reduced again and the very real possibility of a veto that would lead to no salaries into summer and through fall,” said Williams, who has accepted another role in public education. “That is something that I am not willing to risk for my family.”

Quinn had suggested that the state stop paying for regional superintendents of education, which cost the state about $12.6 million last year. But lawmakers largely ignored the governor and added most of the funding back to the budget.

Although salary information is not currently available, Koehler said the county should receive a number of applicants.

“I think there will be people who apply who want the position and will wait to see what the salary will be,” Koehler said. “The trouble is that the list of criteria is lengthy.”

Qualifications include good character, a master’s degree, 20 hours of professional education at the graduate level and various state certifications. Candidates also must prove that they are a Republican and also have two years of teaching out of the previous four.

“There are probably some retired people who would be interested in the position,” Koehler said. “That teaching experience in the last four years could be a problem.”

The new regional superintendent will take over effective July 1. However, the position will sit vacant for a month because Goeglein announced plans to retire early.

Goeglein, who made $100,700 this year, said he would have received a reduced paycheck in the first two weeks of June and no paycheck in the last two weeks of the month.