St. Charles names next school superintendent

St. Charles Unit District 303 is promoting from within for its next superintendent.

The district announced Thursday that Jason Pearson, its area assistant superintendent for middle and high schools, will take over the top spot when Donald Schlomann retires in June 2017.

The school board will vote on Pearson's appointment Monday night. He will then take on duties as deputy superintendent for the next year, working on the transition with Schlomann.

"It became very obvious very early on we had a great candidate right here," board President Steven Spurling said. The board had begun an informal search locally, he said, preferring to focus on people who would be familiar with Illinois' school-funding practices and politics.

Pearson, 43, lives in Geneva. He has worked for District 303 since 2010.

He started as a choral teacher, then taught for two years on the island of Mauritius. He was in school administration for 10 years as a principal in the Williamson County school district in Tennessee.

In 2007, he spent eight weeks on a Fulbright scholarship studying education administration in Finland.

Pearson will make $220,000 a year starting July 1, 2017.

From this July 1 until then, he will be paid $175,000.