Interim leader made official in Dist. U-46
Elgin Area District U-46 school board members Monday night appointed an interim superintendent to replace Connie Neale, who began a medical leave of absence on Friday for an undisclosed illness.
The school board unanimously approved Mary Jayne Broncato, who has served as interim superintendent of the state's second largest school district since Sept. 10 -- the same day school officials announced Neale's leave of absence.
Broncato will be paid $1,100 for per day for each day worked. She will not receive compensation for sick days, vacation or personal days, nor fringe benefits such as health insurance, according to the contract.
The contract also states that Broncato will work on a part-time basis until June 30, 2008 for a maximum of 120 paid days during the 2007-2008 school year.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Broncato," said school board President Ken Kaczynski. "I am quite confident she will help us in this period to keep the focus on academic achievement for all of us."
Other board members did not comment. Neale did not attend Monday's meeting.
Broncato was once superintendent of Joliet Elementary District 86, which has about 9,500 students. U-46 has 40,000 students
She also spent 12 years in high-level positions within the Illinois State Board of Education, including a stint as the interim state superintendent.
Most recently, Broncato served as a consultant for the Stupski Foundation, working with U-46 to develop its curriculum roadmap and helping the district realign the instructional resources of some targeted schools.
"I am looking forward to working with the board and people in the district," Broncato said. "There are many good things that the district should be proud of."
Mary Jayne Broncato is the mother of Patrick Broncato, the district's attorney.
The school board is expected to identify potential successors in the coming weeks. Kaczynski has also said the school board is preparing for Neale's retirement.
Neale's five-year stay with the district was controversial.
She was credited with helping clean up the district's finances -- including a $40-million deficit -- by increasing class sizes, shrinking teacher ranks and downgrading many programs.
A federal lawsuit was filed in 2005 over a plan to redraw school boundaries. Three families said the new maps segregated Latino students into schools that are crowded, older and less-equipped than schools where students are white mostly white.
Most recently, parents and a school board member criticized Neale this past spring for receiving an amended pay package that included a $60,000 raise.
The total package brought Neale's pay to nearly $400,000 a year and also calls for an estimated $1 million in post-retirement benefits.
School board member Dan Rich resigned in protest.