The Niles Township High School District 219 School Board on Thursday announced the appointment of an interim superintendent who will be paid $1,400 a day to replace former superintendent Nanciann Gatta who left the district under a cloud of controversy late last year.
Former Libertyville School District 70 superintendent, Mark Friedman, will serve as District 219 interim superintendent through June, 2016, District 219 said in a release Thursday.
Friedman is a partner with BWP and Associates, an educational leadership search firm in Libertyville, according to the release. It said he served as superintendent of the Libertyville schools for 17 years, was assistant superintendent in Lincolnwood and a principal/director of instruction in Itasca. He was named 2009 “Superintendent of the Year” for the state in Illinois, and was twice named “Superintendent of the Year for Lake County,” the release said.
“We are very fortunate to be able to rely on Dr. Friedman’s expertise and leadership to ensure that we maintain our focus on quality education and operational excellence throughout this transition,” Mark Sproat, president of the District 219 Board of Education, said in the release.
“We have great confidence that Dr. Friedman will work together with the Board and Administration to ensure minimal disruption to district and school operations through this transition,” he said.
He also said District 219 is evaluating what steps it will take in its search to hire a new permanent superintendent.
“We are committed to developing and implementing a superintendent search process that is inclusive, transparent, and well planned,” said Sproat in the release.
Gatta and the district’s chief legal officer, assistant superintendent of operations John Heintz, were placed on leave last August and the district started an internal investigation. Gatta filed suit against the district but later the district signed “mutual separation agreements” with Gatta and Heinz, whose contracts with the school district expired at the end of the year. Gatta was paid a small amount of vacation pay and all lawsuits were dropped, the district said.
As interim superintendent, the release says Friedman will assist the District 219 Board of Education in developing a leadership transition plan, and will lead the administration and staff in the transition to a new, permanent leader for the school district.
As a retired superintendent, Freidman is limited to a maximum of 100 days of work per year, the release said.
Friedman could not be reached for comment and the district on Thursday declined to have anyone do interviews on the appointment.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
