Rotolo Middle School Principal resigns to move closer to home

A month after he got a new administrative position in the Batavia School District, former Rotolo Middle School Principal Don McKinney has left the district.

He accepted a job as principal of Meadow View Elementary School in Plainfield. His last day in Batavia was Tuesday.

"I had an opportunity to move much closer to home," said McKinney, who lives in Minooka. "It was kind of a family decision."

He also enjoyed working in elementary schools prior to his time in Batavia and liked the idea of returning to that, he said.

"We are very happy to have him join our school district and believe he will do great things for the Meadow View community," Mark Heiss, Plainfield District 202's administration and personnel director, said in a news release.

The Batavia school board voted last month to give McKinney, who had been Rotolo principal since 2005, the job of facilitator of continuous improvement process. The administrative-level position was supposed to oversee student assessment and the district's strategic plan.

That position will be put on hold, Superintendent Jack Barshinger said.

The district's tentative budget has a $200,000 deficit, and district leaders have yet to find out if they will get a $400,000 state grant, he said.

The school board has named assistant principal Steve Maciejewski as interim principal and math and social studies teacher Mark Anderson as interim assistant principal.

The district will revisit those positions in December or January, Barshinger said.