Districts 67, 115 Begin Search For New Superintendent

LAKE FOREST, IL — The search is on for a superintendent to replace Mike Simeck, who left his post in Lake Forest Districts 67 and 115 to take over as superintendent of Deerfield School District 109 in December.

In a joint statement from the two districts' boards of education, Presidents Justin Engelland and David Lane said the decision to hire one superintendent to continue overseeing the two districts was made in a joint meeting last Thursday.

The decision aligns with the districts' decision to continue their shared services model, although the boards said they intend to "further optimize" the arrangement.

According to the joint statement, the boards will find and retain an executive search firm to help find and evaluate candidates for the top job in the districts.

The search firm will be identified by a subcommittee made up of three members from each board, according to the statement. The committee will research and vet search firms and make a final recommendation to the joint board.

The committee is made up of District 67 Board President Justin Engelland and District 67 board members Richard Chun and Suzanne Sands, along with District 115 board members Sally Davis, Dewey Winebrenner and Jenny Zinser.

Search firm candidates are scheduled to present to the subcommittee on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 21, at 5 p.m. The boards said they intend to seek approval of a search firm during the meeting.

"As Board Presidents, we know that there is no more important role than leading the selection of a new Superintendent. Our shared commitment is to do so with rigor, inclusion, and transparency," the presidents wrote in the joint statement.

An agenda for this Thursday's meeting had not been made available as of publishing. Agendas can be found on the Lake Forest Schools website.

Simeck released a statement at the time of his hiring.

"My time in Lake Forest has been at once satisfying and challenging. Each of my children went to school and graduated from Lake Forest schools, and I would like to thank the dedicated teachers and staff both in District 67 and 115 for their tireless devotion to their craft. Words fail to express our profound appreciation," Simeck said.

"For the staff as a whole, I have not just grown to know you and appreciate you as exemplary educators but also as people. Please know that it is you, individually and collectively, that I will so deeply miss," he added. "So it is also for the extraordinary parent groups, foundations, and other groups who provide encouragement and make dreams possible for our students and staff. The volunteer community in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood is among the most committed in the nation, and the schools are beneficiaries of that truly amazing human capital and effort. It has been a privilege to witness that commitment."

Watch The Jan. 14 Board Meeting:

Patch editor Jonah Meadows contributed to this report