New contract in works for Indian Prairie superintendent

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 Superintendent Kathy Birkett is expected to receive a three-year contract extension tonight that will include raises of 3 percent the first year, 4 percent the second and 5 percent the third.

Birkett, who began her career in the district in 1979 and has served as superintendent since 2009, currently makes $210,000 a year. She and all other district administrators are working under a pay freeze this school year.

The extension, expected to be approved tonight by the school board, covers 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.

“Dr. Birkett exceeded our expectations in her first two years and we believe she is the perfect person to help us achieve our goal of making District 204 the best in the state,” board President Curt Bradshaw said in a written statement.

District 204, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, is the third-largest school district in the state, but Bradshaw said Birkett’s compensation package ranks 70th.

Birkett began her career in District 204 as a teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School. She also served as assistant principal at Waubonsie from 1987-1991 and principal of Steck Elementary School from 1991 to 1996. She was principal at Neuqua Valley High School when it opened in 1996 and served there until 2004.

She was the district’s assistant superintendent for secondary education from 2004 to 2007 when she became deputy superintendent. She helped oversee the opening of both Fischer Middle School and Metea Valley High School.

District officials said her contract will be posted at ipsd.org once it is approved and signed by the school board.