Dist. 204's Daeschner applies for new job in Indiana

Indian Prairie School District 204 Superintendent Stephen Daeschner confirmed Monday that he has applied for the vacant superintendent position in southern Indiana's Greater Clark County School System.

Daeschner, in his second year of three-year contract that expires in July 2010, said he decided to apply for the position two weeks ago, but has changed his mind several times since.

It "depends on the hour," he said.

Daeschner said he is happy in District 204, but added that the opportunity to work in a middle-to-low income community and help at-risk students has always been a passion of his.

"My decision to apply has nothing to do with this district. This is a great district with a great board, great kids and great staff," he said. "But (Greater Clark County) has a community that is stressed, a staff that is stressed and the only solution kids have in that district is education. And I've spent my career in those kinds of situations.

"It's an opportunity. It's a passion for at risk kids. They're all at risk."

According to the district's Web site, Greater Clark County Schools is the largest of three school districts in Clark County, located on the Ohio River in southern Indiana. It is the 19th-largest school corporation in the state, operating 20 buildings with a student population of roughly 11,000. Daeschner said each of the 20 schools receives Title 1 funds.

Indian Prairie, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, serves roughly 28,000 students in 32 schools.

Logistics also are at play with Daeschner's youngest daughter about to graduate from Waubonsie Valley High School, and because Daeschner calls Louisville, Ky. - where he previously worked for 14 years - his "second home."

Clark County's Web site states the district would like to name their new superintendent by June. If selected, Daeschner said he's not sure he would accept. If he did, however, he said he would not be leaving District 204 in a lurch with no superintendent just weeks before classes start.

"First of all, this is a great board and a good administration. Regardless of any decision I make, I think what we started will continue," he said. "There's some great administrators here in the interim until (board members) decide what they want to do."

He stressed he is not "throwing himself on the market" and insisted he would not apply elsewhere if he's not selected for the Clark County position.

"I'm so old right now, I'm not just going to go anywhere to any place because I like it here," he said. "I've got a good contract here and I like what we're doing here."