The Evanston School District 65 School Board Monday night selected BWP & Associates to recruit an interim superintendent for the coming year and a permanent superintendent to start in September 2020.
“We understand that the uncertainty raised by a change in leadership can cause discomfort and anxiety,” said Board President Sunith Kartha in a prepared statement.
“We want to assure you of our continued commitment to the stated priorities of the district, including our strategic plan and equity agenda,” she said. “We are working hard to ensure a smooth leadership transition, and we intend to engage in a process that is transparent and inclusive of stakeholder voice to identify the next superintendent of District 65.”
Four superintendent search firms made presentations to the board — Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, BWP & Associates, School Exec Connect and Ray and Associates.
Debra Hill, managing director of BWP & Associates, said she has lived in Evanston for 40 years in Evanston, sent her children to Evanston schools and served as a teacher and administrator with District 65.
She said the firm would search for candidates nationwide, with the cost expected to be about $30,000, plus candidate expenses.
The board approved a separation agreement for Superintendent Paul Goren who is leaving at the end of June, two years before the end of his contract, although Evanston Now has not been able to learn the terms of that agreement. Goren was appointed in 2014 for a four-year contract that in 2017 was extended until 2021.
The board also appointed Dr. Stacy Beardsley, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, to act as interim superintendent effective July 1 through the end of August.
Related story
Goren out as D65 superintendent (6/14/2019)