McHenry Co. poised to appoint new schools chief
This time, it looks like it's for real.
The long-vacant post of McHenry County regional superintendent of schools might finally be filled Tuesday when the county board votes on the proposed appointment of Woodstock resident Leslie Schermerhorn, who currently serves as assistant principal at LaSalle Language Academy in Chicago.
The county board's public health and human services committee unanimously voted Friday morning to recommend Schermerhorn's appointment.
Committee members took turns praising the candidate's qualifications, which they said meet the long list of requirements for the position.
Schermerhorn, 52, has a state teacher certification in addition to a law degree and a master's degree in education, both from DePaul University in Chicago. She is also a Republican, which is required because the individual last elected to the post — who retired before taking over in June 2011 — was a Republican.
Schermerhorn said she was a Democrat in her younger days but has voted Republican in the last several years. Records show she pulled a Democratic primary ballot in 2004, and Republican ballots in 2006 and 2012. She is married and has two grown children.
She also told committee members she has no arrest record. The last candidate, Elgin elementary school principal Jeffrey Schleff, withdrew his name in early February after reports surfaced of his previous DUI and domestic battery charges.
“Are there any skeletons at all that we should be concerned about?” county board member Donna Kurtz asked on Friday.
“I have never been arrested, other than the three husbands buried in my backyard,” Schermerhorn replied, eliciting laughter.
Committee chairman Virginia Peschke said she believes Schermerhorn's experience working with racially and economically diverse student populations would prove valuable in McHenry County.
“I would also serve as a legal resource when questions of legality come up,” Schermerhorn said, adding she wants to collect data via surveys to identify educational challenges in McHenry County. She also said there might be opportunities to consolidate school districts that include just one school.
County board member Anna May Miller said she spoke with state Rep. Mike Tryon, chairman of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee, who said he fully supports Schermerhorn's candidacy. “We look forward to having a qualified individual in this position that has been open for a long time,” Miller said.