The Bushnell-Prairie City School Board is conducting its second search for a new superintendent in less than a year.
Recently-retired Superintendent David Messersmith originally intended to stay on through the current school year. Debate over reforming the state pension plan made him reconsider. He retired at the end of July after consultation with the school board.
The school board hired the Illinois Association of School Boards to begin the search for a new superintendent.
Board President Steve Hess says the board interviewed three candidates. It offered the job to one candidate who then declined the offer.
He says, ”That put us back to square one again. We decided we really needed a superintendent for the (current) year. So we went to an interim superintendent process.”
The board chose Bill Mattingly, who is currently serving as the district's interim superintendent, and Mike Nickson, who will take over at the end of the year. The two are retired superintendents. As such, each is limited to working 100 days per year.
The board is conducting another search for a full-time superintendent with the help of the IASB.
Hess says the new superintendent will have to guide the final year of the three year technology plan to implement “one-on-one” computing.
He says, “We're looking for somebody who can motivate teachers. Somebody that can motivate kids and fire things up as far as helping the school district be all it can be with the budget that we have.”
Hess says the board would like the screening process completed in a couple weeks. The board would conduct interviews in October and make its selection by November 1st.