Indian Prairie School District 204 is continuing to move forward with the search for its next superintendent, with forums set for later this month for the community to weigh in on what qualities and goals the next district leader should have.
In April, current District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley announced that he would not be renewing his contract, which is set to expire after the 2025-26 school year, according to past reporting. The board had offered to renew his contract, Talley previously said.
Talley said the timeline for his stepping down was meant to give the school board sufficient time to select his replacement, who’s set to take over as district superintendent on July 1, 2026. He said this is similar to the process the previous superintendent, Karen Sullivan, followed when she retired.
Soon after, the school board began the process of finding a new superintendent, including hiring executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, per a news release from District 204 last week announcing the upcoming community forums.
The position was advertised and promoted by the search firm beginning July 15, according to a message from District 204 Board President Laurie Donahue posted to the district’s website.
The forums, which will be held virtually via Zoom, will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 and 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 28, according to the news release from the district.
Donahue said in the news release announcing the forums that selecting a new superintendent is “one of the most important decisions (they) will make as a board,” and that the board is “committed to making this a transparent and community-driven process.”
The district will also have an online survey meant to gather stakeholder feedback that will be available from Aug. 18 to Sept. 12, the release said. And it will conduct focus groups and interviews with “key constituent groups” in late August and early September, also meant to guide the candidate selection process.
From there, the board is planning to review applications and select semi-finalists in late October, according to a message from Donahue in July, and conduct interviews and select finalists in early November. Then, they’re expecting to interview finalists and select a candidate in early December, with the goal of announcing the new superintendent in mid-December.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
