District 211 names Lisa Small its next superintendent

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board members named current Associate Superintendent for Instruction Lisa Small the district's next superintendent late Thursday night after meeting in closed session for more than four hours.

Small will succeed retiring Superintendent Dan Cates on July 1, 2020.

She cited her working with Cates in their current capacities for the past six years as one of her motivations to seek the superintendent position.

“That was kind of inspiring, to work with someone who is moving the district forward,” Small said of her predecessor.

The board approved a four-year contract for Small with an initial gross salary of $246,000.

Cates is retiring with a final gross salary of $277,678 for the 2019-2020 school year.

“One of our most important responsibilities as a board of education is to hire a superintendent of schools, and we are very excited about our choice of Dr. Small to fill this position,” District 211 board President Robert LeFevre Jr. said in a written statement released just after the appointment vote. “Dr. Small has been well-respected as a leader in District 211, and her experience in the district will make for a smooth transition into her new role.”

Small has served in District 211 for 27 years. Before her current role, she was principal of Fremd High School in Palatine for six years. She began her teaching career at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in January 1992 before coming to District 211 as a math and science teacher at Hoffman Estates High School in August 1992.

The board began its search for its next superintendent this summer, with just about a year left before Cates' retirement. Members pursued an aggressive time frame to provide their appointee eight months to work on a transition.

Cates had had the same amount of time when he was promoted from his previous position as associate superintendent for administrative services for the district in October 2013.