Oswego-based School District 308 has selected an educational consulting firm from Oak Park to help guide it in the search for a replacement for Superintendent John Sparlin.
Sparlin announced in January that he will retire at the end of the school year.
He has served at the helm for seven of the 11 years he has worked for District 308.
The school board recently voted 6-0 to hire School Exec Connect out of three firms after a lengthy discussion about the timing of finding a superintendent right in the middle of election season. Four of the seven seats on the school board will be up for election in the April 4 consolidated election.
“Many of us will say it’s not that history repeats but it sure does rhyme,” school board member Jared Ploger said.
Ploger recalled 2013 when a superintendent resigned in February during an election year.
“We are going to have a new board and they need to get along with a superintendent but I also think we need to realize that getting into this late in the game will hinder us finding the best possible candidate we can bring in for our community,” Ploger said. “We need to make sure we are doing our due diligence.”
Most districts begin searches for new superintendents for next school year in October or November, said LaTonya Simelton, president of the school board.
“We are significantly behind in the time frame in which we would pick a superintendent for this year. There are districts that have already named their superintendent or are in the last stages of appointing a superintendent,” Simelton said.
To embark on the process after the election brings with it some issues, she said.
“We would be looking at May or June and at that time the selection pool is shallow,” Simelton said.
When asked to clarify his position, Ploger said he doesn’t think the board should be in a position where they feel that they have to hire somebody right away.
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“We need to make sure we are making it clear that we want the best candidate. If they are not finding a candidate that we are comfortable with, I am 100% comfortable going with an alternative to just hiring somebody,” Ploger said.
Simelton said there is a need to get moving on the search for a new superintendent.
“I definitely think we need to go forward and not put on the brakes,” she said.
School Exec Connect was the same firm that recommended a candidate for Batavia School District 101 in December.
The consulting firm’s fee is $21,500 plus regular expenses. There will be some advertising costs associated with the search that have yet to be determined.
Sparlin previously held positions as associate superintendent and assistant superintendent of administrative services in District 308. He began his educational career in 1993.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.