The Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200 board on Monday night brought to a close its sometimes-divisive superintendent selection process, unanimously approving a five-year contract with its new superintendent, Gary Catalani, that will pay him $145,000 a year.
Catalani, who was the superintendent in south suburban Thornton Township High School District 205, became superintendent at a meeting that took place just before a referendum rally to drum up support for the district’s $35 million bond issue to raise money for district schools.
The board had split into factions over the two other superintendent candidates, David Kroeze, who withdrew early in the process, and Robert McKanna. Catalani’s hiring, however–and the board’s decision to go to the voters in April with a referendum–are two unanimous votes recently that suggest a new era of cooperation and compromise from a board that has seldom done so.
Board President Bob Davis said Catalani, who starts work July 1 but will work part-time beginning in April, is under a contract aimed at establishing a performance evaluation system for all district administrators, increasing staff development opportunities, providing a state of the district report and evaluating the organization and structure of the district’s central office, where recent administrative turnover has been high.
