Search for McHenry Co. schools superintendent ongoing

The search for a new McHenry County Regional Superintendent of Schools continues more than a month after the last superintendent — and the man elected to replace him — retired.

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler said he is “still looking at a number of options,” for filling the position. He said one of the biggest hurdles is how to pay for the position.

“Quite frankly, if we knew that there was going to be funding would have filled it,” Koehler said. “This is an unfunded mandate from the state of Illinois.”

Before signing the budget earlier this month, Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto power to eliminate $11.3 million in funding that pays the salaries of regional superintendents and their assistants.

The McHenry County Regional Office of Education is currently operating without a superintendent or assistant superintendent.

“Right now, we’re not looking to fill either position until the funding issue is resolved,” County Administrator Peter Austin said. “We would like to fill it, but how do we interview people for a position when we don’t know how they are going to get paid?”

For the time being, the county has an arrangement with the Lake County Regional Superintendent Roycealee Wood. The county does not pay Wood, Austin said.

“It is an informal agreement,” Austin said.”They have helped us in processing some GEDs that we needed to get done, some work permit-type things and general consultation.”

A list of finalists has been established but no interviews have been conducted, Austin said.

In May, then McHenry Superintendent Gene Goeglein announced plans to retire early because of the governor’s decision to cut salaries in the month of June.

Jon Williams, who was elected in November to replace Goeglein, then retired before taking over the post in July.