Mount Prospect District 57 superintendent retiring after 2020-21 school year

Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 Superintendent Elaine Aumiller will retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year, she announced in a video message to the community this week.

Aumiller, the district's top administrator since 2009, said she believes the timing makes sense for both her and the district.

"I look forward to the next phase of my life and I'm confident that the district and schools will continue to thrive under the leadership of the next superintendent," she said in the video.

The process of choosing her successor will begin in the fall, when the board of education plans to hire a consulting firm to help lead the district's search. Various stakeholder groups will have a role in the interview process, Aumiller said.

Aumiller's tenure began under unusual circumstances, as she was hired from Glenview Elementary District 30 in May 2009 after the district's newly hired superintendent abruptly resigned a week earlier when it was discovered she had been arrested on drunken driving charges the previous month.

Less than a year later, the district faced criticism after a school bus driver was arrested on DUI charges alleging she took about 50 students home while driving with a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit.

But the district scored a big win in March 2018 when voters overwhelmingly supported a tax-hike referendum to boost revenues and prevent sweeping budget cuts.

Aumiller called it her proudest moment as superintendent.

"The success of the referendum shows what District 57 means to our local community and sets us on a new course that will ensure continued excellence for many years to come," she said.