The consultant hired to conduct the search for a new superintendent in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 is continuing the process after receiving 251 responses to an online survey.
BWP & Associates is the firm with which District 181 is working to find a replacement for Hector Garcia, who is retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Garcia was selected following a search by BWP, was hired as superintendent in February 2018 and began his tenure at the district on July 1 of that year.
Highlights of the responses in the survey indicated a desire for leadership skills that include being a strong leader, communication skills, interpersonal skills, instructional leadership and managerial skills. As for personal skills, the responses indicated a desire for someone who has integrity and is a trust builder, is child-centered, a decision maker/problem solver, a team builder and a collaborator.
Of the survey responses, 34% were from District 181 residents, 32% from parents of students, 11% from parents of former students, 64% from employees, some of whom also live in the district; and 9% from people who volunteer in the district’s schools.
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Mark Friedman, of BWP, said he was happy with the number of survey responses.
“D181 is a well-run school district with little controversy,” he said. “Typically, in districts where things are going well and the board and administration instill confidence in the community, we don’t see large numbers in our surveys. The key is that we picked up specific leadership qualities that we will search for in the candidate pool.”
Friedman said District 181’s good performance and stellar reputation may scare off a few candidates, because the bar is set high.
“There are others who would relish the challenge of stepping into one of the highest performing districts in the state,” he said.
The search is national, Friedman said, and there are candidates from outside of Illinois. However, state Tier 2 legislation passed in 2011 has reduced the financial incentives available to offer candidates from other states and “we have seen the number of outside Illinois candidates drop drastically,” he said.
That legislation includes a change in pensions that reduced retirement benefits, created a higher retirement age and capped salaries for calculating benefits.
The district’s timetable now includes an Oct. 11 deadline to submit applications. BWP is conducting initial interviews Oct. 15 with candidates most closely matching the leadership profile generated through the survey and other factors.
Also, on Oct. 20, BWP plans to have a closed-session interview preparation workshop with the District 181 School Board, which will conduct first round closed-session candidate interviews Nov. 7-8. Round 2 interviews are scheduled for Nov. 17, and approval of a new superintendent is scheduled to take place in December.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.