Lake Zurich Unit District 95 hires search firm to help find new superintendent
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 board members have hired a company to help find a successor to retiring Superintendent Michael Egan.
Highland Park-based School Exec Connect will head the search for District 95's new boss, who will take command before the 2016-17 academic season. District 95 board President Doug Goldberg said officials will select from menu of School Exec Connect's services, with a cost not expected to exceed $20,000.
"We wanted to get them (School Exec Connect) under contract as soon as possible," Goldberg said.
Egan, 64, announced his planned retirement last month. His departure will be effective June 30, 2016.
At a separate session before approving School Exec Connect's hiring last week, District 95 board members agreed the firm appeared to have a more precise timeline on when it wanted to land superintendent candidates than other companies that sought the contract.
Similar to other board members, Scott McConnell said he wants to "hit the ground running in the fall," to start interviews with superintendent candidates.
In examples of its work provided to District 95, School Exec Connect typically conducts focus groups and distributes online surveys to create a new superintendent profile. The feedback usually comes from employees, students, faculty and school district taxpayers.
District 95 board member Eileen Maloney said she's attended educational conferences and learned the superintendent profile process involving the community - not so much the search firm - is most important.
School Exec Connect will narrow the candidate field for the District 95 board. The board will choose the new schools boss after interviewing the finalists.
Egan rose from Lake Zurich High principal to District 95's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in May 2008. The school board elevated him to superintendent for 2009-10, after letting Brian Knutson out of his contract a year early so he could retire.
Goldberg said District 95 was fortunate when it hired Egan as superintendent because he already was established there. He said officials want do as well in hiring the next leader.
"I think this is the most important decision the board makes," he said.