Heid named District 300 superintendent

Fred Heid, superintendent-in-waiting for Hampshire-based Community Unit District 300, now has the credentials to formally take the helm.

Heid has served as District 300's chief executive officer since June 2. He is District 300's first bilingual superintendent.

The school board confirmed Heid's appointment Thursday following the Illinois State Board of Education's approval of his superintendent certification.

Heid, 44, who has been working with interim Superintendent Ken Arndt since June, said he is glad the licensure process is over.

"This was the last hurdle to jump while I transitioned to Illinois full-time," said Heid, who lives in Sleepy Hollow with his wife, Patti, and 7-year-old son who is a second grader in the district.

Heid's contract won't be finalized until the Oct. 14 school board meeting. His base salary remains the same, $210,000 yearly, though benefits will change.

"This certification marks a significant step in our collective mission to continue moving District 300 forward," school board President Anne Miller said.

Heid previously worked as chief academic officer for the Duval County School System in Jacksonville, Florida. He also served as the bureau chief for school improvement and accountability for the Florida Department of Education and principal of Orange County Public Schools. He began his education career in Sarasota County Public School as a science teacher in 1999.

Heid said there are a number of issues facing District 300, including changing assessments. He plans to share how the district, which has more than 19,200 students and 27 schools, performed in statewide assessments and his vision for the future with the school board and community at the Oct. 14 meeting.

"We're entering into negotiations with our teacher's union," he said. "We have to transition to the statewide teacher evaluation system. I will outline our initiatives moving forward."

Officials also are working on revising the district's strategic plan, and aligning it to measurable outcomes.

"We're going to host a series of town hall events on the strategic plan in various locations across the district," Heid said.

Those forums will be scheduled in October and will accommodate Spanish speakers, Heid said.