Top candidate pulls out of running for Dist. 158 job

Huntley Unit District 158 has hit a snag in its search to find a new comptroller.

The leading candidate for the position, vacated when Stacie Talbert resigned earlier this year, has declined the district's offer for personal reasons, district officials said.

"This individual was head and shoulders above the other candidates," board Vice President Tony Quagliano said.

The district now is using a search firm to help identify qualified interim and permanent candidates, Human Resources Director Lauren Smith said.

More than a dozen applicants expressed interest in the comptroller position, the district's top financial post.

But district officials said many of the candidates either came from the private sector -- and therefore had higher salary requirements -- or lacked experience in school finance.

"We did not have anyone apply with a school background … so that's why we're using an agency," Smith said.

The advertised salary for the position, Smith said, was $90,000 to $140,000. Some of the candidates, while qualified, were asking $200,000.

"Some of those people were way outside of our range," Smith said. "We have to stay within our budget."

The district still is looking at resumes that are coming in and is scheduling interviews this month for interim finance officers, Smith said.

District officials hope to have a permanent comptroller in place by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

In the meantime, staff in payroll and fiscal services have been handling the day-to-day operations of their departments.

"They're running it really well," Smith said. "They do need leadership, a single head over fiscal, especially to implement these internal controls."

District 158 board members and officials praised Talbert for her work, especially her review of the district's internal controls -- policies to ensure good business practices are followed.

District officials say they want a candidate who will carry on the work Talbert started and implement the recommendations in her internal controls report.

Talbert left the district to become chief financial officer of the Rockford Park District.

She was the third top financial official to leave the district since 2003.