Indian Prairie school board hashing out contract

Indian Prairie school board members are continuing to work on details of a three-year contract with Deputy Superintendent Kathryn Birkett to take the reins of Unit District 204 - possibly by month's end.

The two sides met for part of a nearly five-hour closed session Wednesday night.

At this point, Birkett is said to be the only candidate to replace Superintendent Stephen Daeschner, who is stepping down at the end of June after two years in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.

School board members continue to be tight-lipped about the talks. Birkett did not return a message left Thursday at her office.

School board President Curt Bradshaw, the spokesman for the search, would not confirm officials are talking with Birkett or any details about a possible contract.

"All I can say is the work continues as we try to find a new superintendent," Bradshaw said Thursday. "June 30 is not a hard and fast deadline but it is certainly a date we are working toward to have some sort of resolution to know how we will proceed."

He said there will likely be one or two meetings "popping up" but none are presently scheduled because officials are trying to work around their vacation schedules.

Sources say the two sides are discussing a three-year contract. The board has promised to discuss its selection with members of the teachers union, the Indian Prairie Education Association, before making its decision public.

The departing Daeschner spoke highly of Birkett last month during an interview with the Daily Herald, saying "her experience in this district and knowledge of people is phenomenal. I think she's qualified. I think she could do a great job."

District 204 is working with the search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, but the bulk of that work has focused on meetings with several stakeholders to determine what attributes the district should look for in a leader. Those largely generic traits were presented to the board on Sunday.

There are no indications the firm or board are looking outside the district.

If a superintendent is not in place before Daeschner departs, Birkett's job description stipulates she automatically becomes interim superintendent. Birkett joined District 204 in August 1979 as a physical education teacher. In 1987 she became assistant principal at Waubonsie Valley High School and in 1991 she was named principal at Steck Elementary School. In 1996 she was tapped as principal to open the new $63 million Neuqua Valley High School before joining the administration as assistant superintendent in 2004.

Daeschner is leaving the district on June 30, with a full year left on his contract, to take the superintendent position in southern Indiana's Greater Clark County School system.