Mundelein High narrows superintendent search

The search for Mundelein High School District 120's next superintendent is down to three candidates.

Board members and administrators will meet with the candidates next week. With an eye on having the new administrator start in time for the 2008-09 school year, the board could vote on a contract Dec. 11, co-interim Superintendent Linda Hanson said.

More than 50 hopefuls from across the country applied for the post, Hanson said. All three remaining candidates are from Illinois, and two are from the Chicago suburbs, she said.

Hanson said she was encouraged by the interest in the post and how it reflects on the school.

"Any one of them would be successful," Hanson said. "They all would lead the school forward."

Mundelein High has been led by two superintendents, Hanson and John Barbini, since August 2006.

They were hired as a pair because, under state law, pension issues prevent retired superintendents from working full time.

The two longtime educators replaced Stan Fields, who quit earlier that month to take a job in another district.

Hanson's and Barbini's contracts expire in June 2008.

The school board will meet with the three remaining candidates in informal sessions and in formal discussions next week. All are closed to the public.

The informal meetings are scheduled for area restaurants.

The first is set for 6 p.m. Monday at Docks Grill, 313 E. Liberty St., Wauconda. The other two locations have not been announced yet.

Restaurants were chosen for the meeting sites because officials wanted to get to know the candidates in casual situations as well as traditional interview settings, Hanson said. The school will pay for the meals, she said.