Sept. 15--Waukegan Community School District 60 is looking for residents' input on what they would like to see in the district's next superintendent.
The district announced Monday that it is offering an online survey where parents, students, community members and district staff can weigh in on characteristics they want the next district leader to have as well as issues facing the district they'd like that leader to tackle.
Superintendent Donaldo Batiste has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the 2015-16 school year. The district hired Libertyville-based consulting firm BWP Associates to conduct the search, budgeting up to $30,000 for its services.
A vacancy announcement on the search firm's website says candidates must have applications in by Oct. 21.
School board president Michael Rodriguez said school board members identified stakeholders in the community including elected officials, faith-based groups and not-for-profit groups with which the district works that BWP Associates will interview in the next two weeks.
But anyone in the community can share opinions through the online survey through Oct. 2, according to a news release from the district.
"We want to make this open to as many people as possible so the community feels they're being heard," Rodriguez said.
The survey is available in English and Spanish through links on the district's website, www.wps60.org.
Rodriguez said the district hopes to have selected the next superintendent by January, which he said is relatively early in most schools' hiring process. The district's size, with 17,000 preschool through high school students, and diversity makes it complex to lead, he said.
"We're not looking for a first-time superintendent, we want experience and a proven track record," he said.
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