Glen Ellyn District 41 superintendent doesn't get Seattle job

Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 Superintendent Paul Gordon is staying put for now.

Gordon earlier this week was named one of three finalists for the top administrative post in a school district near Seattle. But the Mercer Island school board instead unanimously selected Donna Colosky, the superintendent of a California district, for the job Thursday.

Last month, the District 41 school board also learned Gordon was a front-runner for a superintendent's position he didn't get in his home state of Colorado.

Gordon has two years remaining on his contract, which expires at the end of June 2019.

"Exploring an opportunity and being a finalist for a position does not change my commitment to our district," Gordon said in a statement Tuesday. "I continue to be honored to serve District 41.

Gordon now makes $224,783 a year after receiving a 2.6 percent merit pay raise and a $9,600 bonus tied to performance goals in May. The Mercer Island position would offer a salary of roughly $230,000.

The school board there hired Ray and Associates Inc. in March to recruit candidates. That's the same firm District 41 used in a national search for a superintendent that resulted in Gordon's hiring in 2013.

Ray and Associates also screened applicants to fill the superintendent's vacancy in the second-largest school district in Colorado, where Gordon said he was asked to interview. That job went to another Colorado superintendent.