Incoming District 57 superintendent resigns
The incoming superintendent for Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 has resigned as a result of a DUI charge she acquired in April and another DUI charge she pleaded guilty to in 2002.
Peggy Kaufmann, who was to have joined District 57 on July 1, instead resigned Tuesday afternoon by letter, said school board President Joseph Leane.
"We wish her well on her future endeavors," Leane said Tuesday night at District 57 headquarters, where the school board had met to discuss Kaufmann's future. He did not reveal the contents of her letter.
"The board will focus on moving the district forward."
And it did - as soon as Leane made the announcement at 8:15 p.m., board members retreated into a private session to discuss the new search for a superintendent.
"We will move as quickly as we can to get quality leadership," Leane said.
The news of Kaufmann's DUI arrest on April 11 in Bartlett broke over the weekend. On Monday, news surfaced that she had pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in Oak Brook in 2002. Her blood alcohol content at that time was registered at 0.239.
District 57 has four new school board members elected April 7. Another veteran member, Rich Benson, resigned last week.
Kaufmann's arrival in District 57 was highly anticipated. The current superintendent, Bruce Brown, is leaving after seven years.
Kaufmann, who lives in Geneva, has been an administrator and a principal at Anne Fox Elementary School in Hanover Park. She has a master's degree from Northeastern Illinois University in reading education and a doctorate from Loyola University in Chicago.
Kaufmann's attorney could not be reached for comment.
In 2004, Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 promoted her from principal to assistant superintendent of instruction.
On Tuesday, District 54 officials said there's no option of Kaufmann staying in her job, or of even staying with District 54.
"The assistant superintendent position has been filled," said District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh. "We've already hired her replacement."
Nicholas Myers, the principal at Fox Elementary School, will take over Kaufmann's job July 1.
McHugh said all other administrative and principal positions at District 54 have been filled for next year, and Kaufmann would have to reapply if she wanted to stay.
McHugh said District 54's school board members are aware of Kaufmann's DUI arrests and discussed it during closed session last week.
"They haven't taken any action (against Kaufmann)," she said.
Bartlett police charged Kaufmann with driving under the influence of alcohol and illegal lane usage around 1:18 a.m. April 11. She scored between a 0.147 and 0.155 on the Breathalyzer, according to court records. Police said they pulled her over after her car swerved over the lane line three times driving south on Route 59 near Norwood Lane, court records show.
Kaufmann is due to appear in DuPage County court in Wheaton on May 19.
District 57, through automated phone calls, alerted parents of the April 11 charge last week after the school board addressed the matter with Kaufmann. Leane, interviewed about the April 11 charge on Saturday, said Kaufmann told the board her attorney is confident she will be cleared.
On Monday, however, an earlier charge came to light. On Aug. 16, 2002, Kaufmann pleaded guilty to DUI charges after she was arrested July 16, 2002, in Oak Brook, DuPage County records show. Her blood-alcohol level was almost three times the state's legal limit of .08.
For the 2002 arrest, Kaufmann paid fines and fees and was sentenced to court supervision, DUI school and public service.
Resign: Kaufmann's old job in Dist. 54 has already been filled