Forums to Discuss D113 Superintendent, HPHS, DHS Principal Search Held Next Week

The following information is from District 113:

Township High School District 113 has initiated searches to find four new administrative leaders for the 2015-16 school year: Superintendent of Schools, Principal of Deerfield High School, Principal of Highland Park High School and Director of Student Support Services for District 113. To counsel them through this important process, the District 113 Board of Education has retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in assisting Boards with the consideration of candidates for educational leadership positions.

A key step in the process is to identify the characteristics the Board will be seeking in the new leaders, and the Board is looking for input from the community to guide them in this important task. There are several ways in which community members can participate.

Online survey:

All community members are invited to complete an online survey regarding the desired characteristics in the next superintendent. This survey, which will be open through Sunday, Oct. 26, can be found on the Leadership Search Updates page of the District 113 website, www.dist113.org/leadership. A survey for the desired characteristics in the Deerfield and Highland Park High School principals will be conducted in November, and stakeholders will be notified when that survey is available.

Open forums:

Community members also are invited to attend an open community forum. Open forums, which will be facilitated by members of HYA, will be held on the following dates, both of which are open to all District 113 parents, staff and community members:

• Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m. at Deerfield High School, 1959 N. Waukegan Road, Deerfield
• Wednesday, October 15 at 7 p.m. at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Ave., Highland Park

In addition to the surveys and community forums, HYA also is conducting focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders to inform the search. A stakeholder committee comprised of students, staff, parents and community members will be formed to interview semi-finalists for each of the leadership positions and provide their thoughts to the Board on the strengths, concerns and questions regarding each candidate. The work of these committees will be facilitated by HYA.

The goal is to identify the new superintendent by January so that he or she can be involved with the selection of the Principals and Director of Student Services, and to have the Principals and Director identified by no later than mid-March. All new administrators will begin in their roles no later than July 1, 2015.