Superintendent Search Priorities and Hiring Timeline

The board reviewed stakeholder survey results for the superintendent search, highlighting top traits like an inclusive climate, strong communication, budget expertise, equity, and effective board relations, and outlined focus groups and a fast-moving timeline toward a January 2026 appointment. The meeting also covered pay increases across several staff groups and concerns about the proposed Jerome TIF’s impact on district revenue. 11mins

Education
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Original Meeting

Monday, October 6th, 2025
8059.0
Full Meeting on YouTube
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Brian Wojcicki
Springfield, Illinois
Government Relations & Legal Services Professional
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In This Video
  • Jim Helton with the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) introduced survey results from multiple stakeholder groups for the superintendent search and outlined plans to analyze findings against the district’s vacancy announcement and brochure.
  • IASB summarized statewide survey criteria and reported stakeholder-prioritized superintendent traits, including ensuring an inclusive, safe environment, fostering professional culture, strong communication and collaboration, finance and budget expertise, promoting equity and cultural responsiveness, and effective Board relations, noting alignment work with the vacancy brochure was ongoing.
  • IASB outlined next steps, announcing 18 focus group sessions scheduled for October 22 and 23 to continue gathering input for the superintendent search.
  • IASB outlined a hiring timeline with applications due November 14, candidate presentations in late November to early December, board interviews in mid-December, and an appointment in January 2026 with a July 2026 start.
  • Superintendent Gill recognized Springfield High's girls volleyball city championship and thanked the Southeast Spartans for hosting the event.
  • Superintendent Gill celebrated Lindsay Elementary’s 25th anniversary, highlighting student performances of a Vachel Lindsay poem and the school song with the original composer present.
  • Superintendent Gill announced the Early Learning Center’s 20th anniversary celebration, inviting attendees to join the October 9 event from 5:00 to 6:30.
  • Superintendent Gill thanked the United Way for providing landscaping assistance to several schools during its October 3 Day of Action.
  • Superintendent Gill announced the district-wide MLK essay contest for students in grades 5–12, highlighting monetary prizes and encouraging participation through school administrative teams.
  • Superintendent Gill announced the Empowering All Abilities Conference scheduled for November 15 at Lanphier High School, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Shelley Moore and participation from community groups serving students with special needs.
  • Superintendent Gill reported mid-October exclusion figures, noting 88 students were out for missing immunization/physical documentation, 303 students remained in school with appointments before October 15, and urged families to complete requirements as state law mandates exclusion without proper paperwork by the deadline.
  • Superintendent Gill referenced recent meetings and expressed concern that a proposed TIF could have an estimated $4.33 million negative impact on the district, potentially increasing if the tax base grows over the TIF’s duration.
  • Attorney for the school district, Tony Schuering with Brown, Hay, and Stephens law firm, reported the TIF ordinances were introduced but not passed within the 90-day window after the July 3 public hearing, leaving the matter in a holding pattern with potential action possible at any upcoming village meeting if votes are secured.
  • Attorney Schuering reported that an earlier proposal to share 30% of TIF revenue directly with the school district shifted to 30% split among all taxing bodies—reducing the district’s share to roughly 18–20%—and noted the village aimed to finalize the plan by year’s end with advance notice before a vote.
  • The board considered approval of a collective bargaining agreement with SEIU Local 15 outlining step and longevity increases where applicable, with a 4% per-cell raise in the 2025–26 school year and a 3% per-cell raise in the 2026–27 school year.
  • The board considered approval of a collective bargaining agreement for Project Scope program staff under the Teamsters Union, outlining step and longevity where applicable with a 12% per-cell increase in 2025–26 and a 5% per-cell increase in 2026–27.
  • The board considered a salary agreement for Professional and Technical Support Personnel (PTSP), providing step and longevity where applicable with a 2.4% per-cell increase in 2025–26 and a 3% per-cell increase in 2026–27.
  • The board approved an addendum extending the superintendent’s contract through June 30, 2026, noted the superintendent’s intent to retire at the end of the 2025–26 school year, and set a 3.75% pay increase for the final year.
  • Chair Austin announced the next regular meeting date and shared that schools would be closed on Indigenous Peoples Day, with early dismissal for parent-teacher conferences on October 16 and no school on the following Friday.
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