District 23 superintendent says he’s retiring

After spending 23 years in the district and nine years as superintendent at Prospect Heights Elementary District 23, Greg Guarrine announced on Wednesday that he will be retiring at the end of the year.

Guarrine will be replaced by Assistant Superintendent Deb Wilson, as was announced at the school board meeting on Wednesday night.

Wilson, addressing the audience, said, “I love this district, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve here. And I promise to serve with the same dedication and commitment and passion as Dr. Guarrine.”

Of Wilson, Guarrine said, “Deb is a true success story. She started as a program assistant in District 23 many years ago and has risen through all of the ranks to become — now — superintendent July 1. I think the board could not have made a better choice.”

Guarrine, who received a standing ovation from those in attendance at the meeting, said he had planned to retire at the end of last year, but decided to stay another year through the reconfiguration of the district’s schools into grade level centers.

“The board asked if I would stay this year to make sure that process was complete, which we’ve done,” Guarrine said. “So I think it’s a good time to move on.”

Guarrine’s retirement will be effective June 30, 2012, and Wilson will take over July 1, providing for a long transition period.

Because the board knew of his intent to retire for some time, Guarrine said they were able to do succession planning and find an internal candidate. His retirement is being announced now to allow a search for Wilson’s position to be filled.

“I’ve been here most of my career,” said Guarrine, who has spent a little more than 40 years in public education, almost entirely in the Chicago suburbs. “It’s a good point to make a change and this district will be in good hands. It’s the time.”

Looking back over his years at the district, Guarrine said he is sad to leave, but has enjoyed his time there.

“The most enjoyable thing has been working with the staff and administrative team. We have an outstanding staff that have produced amazing results with our students,” Guarrine said. “It’s the people, and of course our students. I love getting into the classroom and seeing the children, that’s always a thrill.”

As far as retirement, Guarrine, who lives in Mount Prospect and will turn 62 in December, doesn’t have any major plans yet, but is looking forward to being with his family, having time off and possibly traveling. Guarrine is also a volunteer board member for the Northwest Suburban United Way and a volunteer with the Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights Rotary Club and the Northwest Community Hospital Foundation.

Before coming to District 23, Guarrine was the director of special education for Dalton School District 148 in the south suburbs and also worked for the East Dupage Special Education District in Villa Park.

“This has been the capstone of my career,” Guarrine said. “This has just been a wonderful place to have a career and ultimately to end a career.

Wilson, 55, who lives in Mount Prospect, has had a long career with the district, beginning in the late 1980s when she was a program assistant in special education. She went on to do her student teaching in the district before being hired as an eighth grade math and science teacher. From there, she rose to the position of assistant principal at MacArthur Middle School. After a hiatus when she was a principal at a Vernon Hills middle school, she returned to District 23 to become middle school principal at MacArthur, eventually rising to her position as assistant superintendent, a position that by the time she becomes superintendent will pay her an annual salary of $175,000.

She said becoming superintendent was not something she pursued.

“No, I have never really been like, ‘OK, I’m going to do this and next I’m going to do this.’ I just keep trying to work for the good of the district, and good things happen.”

She said she is excited about serving the district. She said she wants to continue “the fine instructional educational program that we have and continue to push ourselves to maximize learning opportunities for students in the district.”

She said one of the keys to the future of the district will be meeting the expectations for Adequate Yearly Progress on the district’s report card.

“Right now, we’re on a good financial path to continue that,” she said.