District 34 to hire firm to find new superintendent

The search for a new Antioch Elementary District 34 superintendent will be carried out by a professional firm, rather than handling the task in-house.

The board is looking for a new district leader after Superintendent Scott Thompson announced he'll step down at the end of the 2010 school year. Superintendent for the past five years, the 52-year-old Thompson said ongoing contention between him and the school board is not in the best interest of the students.

Discussion at Tuesday's board meeting centered around whether to perform the search using in-house resources or hire pros to hunt down prospects.

Board member Kris Bolin said the group decided it would net better prospects using a search firm.

"We felt this is a very important step and wanted to do it the right way," Bolin said Wednesday. "We need to find the best fit."

Bolin said the next step will be to interview search firm representatives to choose the best and most cost effective.

The district has $20,000 budgeted for the search, but the final cost is unclear right now. Bolin said this is a "ballpark" figure. Thompson will leave the district making $164,000 annually.

The board hopes to announce the new leader in January or February.