District 158 to pick superintendent search firm, interim leader Tuesday
Huntley school officials next week will hire a superintendent search firm to find the district's next leader.
The Huntley Community School District 158 school board will conduct a special meeting Tuesday to approve a contract with executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of Schaumburg - part of the ECRA Group - and also appoint an interim superintendent.
Superintendent John Burkey is leaving the district by the end of the month to head the Large Unit District Association. Burkey will serve as executive director of the Springfield-based group that represents 53 large unit school districts, of which District 158 is a member. It provides networking, professional development and advocacy for member districts.
Burkey was paid a $215,000 base salary for the 2016-17 school year, with a 2.5 percent pay increase each subsequent year of his contract. He was hired as superintendent in 2006.
District 158 has an early childhood center, five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. During Burkey's tenure, enrollment has grown from fewer than 7,000 students to nearly 10,000. He oversaw various construction projects and the implementation of a program that gave every student a district-owned tablet or laptop computer.
In December, the school board interviewed four national executive search firms, including the Illinois Association of School Boards, BWP & Associates of Libertyville, and School Exec Connect. Costs for services range from about $9,900 to $17,500. Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates will be paid a consulting fee of $17,500, according to the proposed contract.
Part of the search process will include focus groups with various stakeholders to help establish goals and criteria for the next superintendent, district spokesman Dan Armstrong said.
Three external candidates applied for the interim superintendent position. The board is set to hire Bradley Hawk, a Northern Illinois University professor and former superintendent of Burlington-based Central Unit District 301, for a fee of $900 per day from Feb. 1 through June 30.
The school board will approve both contracts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, in the Administrative Building Board Room, 650 Academic Drive, Algonquin.