In picking Scott Rowe to be the new superintendent of Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 – a change nearly 20 years in the making – the school board president said the district found the ideal administrator.
“We expect many years of excellence of Dr. Scott Rowe … we certainly have captured everything we wanted to capture in our next superintendent,” board President Bill Dussling said Thursday night at the meeting where Rowe’s hire was officially approved by the school board.
Rowe has been named the new superintendent of one of the largest high school districts in the state, enrolling more than 12,000 students across six schools, including John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove High School in Buffalo Grove. He succeeds David Schuler, who, after 18 years as superintendent, left the district in February to be executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.
Rowe, who turns 43 on April 17 and is currently superintendent of nine-school Huntley Community School District 158 – which includes only one high school – will start at SD214 as of July 1. His four-year contract includes pay of $280,000 annually plus benefits.
“This is a tremendous school district. I loved Huntley and it was wonderful to me, but this opportunity to transform education in a new way is really intriguing,” Rowe told Pioneer Press in an interview after the announcement. “I want to be a part of what’s going on in District 214, from student pathways to pushing the envelope and breaking down barriers.”
District administrative staff, along with principals from Hersey, BGHS, and Rolling Meadows, Wheeling, Prospect high schools, and the specialized schools at Forest View Educational Center, will report to Rowe, officials explained.
“I bring a relationship focus to the role, people really matter to me,” Rowe said. “Breaking down the walls of time in school is something very important to me and seat time is a real challenge we face in education. Learning is not linear and happens in many different ways and it’s very messy. When we try to make it happen in a certain way, sitting in rows and doing it in a time-balanced system, we’re not doing the best we can.”
In a news conference after the announcement, Rowe also said his top priorities will be flexible learning environments, school safety, equity and inclusion and building relationships with the Chicago Bears organization as the NFL team explores possibly building a new stadium at the site of the former Arlington International Racecourse – which the team purchased earlier this year.
Rowe has led Huntley Community School District 158 since 2018, with its more than 9,000 students in PreK-12 from the Lake County towns of Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Huntley. He also served as principal at one of the middle schools and the lone high school. He also led the district’s blended learning program which was recognized nationally.
According to a bio provided by District 214 officials, Rowe was born and raised in Missouri and began his career as a social studies teacher and assistant principal in other districts before joining SD158 in 2011. The veteran educator and administrator holds a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University and master’s and doctoral degrees in educational leadership from Aurora University. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Huntley and have two children who attend SD158 schools.
Although District 214 officials would not disclose how many candidates applied for the position, Dussling said the board’s selection of Rowe came after a five-month search led by a consulting firm that also collected community input from 2,800 surveys and focus groups involving district residents, parents, students and staff.
He said Rowe meets the criteria set forth by the community.
“Dr. Rowe will be the next leader of this lighthouse district to continue our legacy of tradition and excellence, to push the envelope of public education and to serve as our bridge to the future and to have the courage to fail forward and try again,” Dussling said at the board meeting.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
