D-112 Rejects Referendum Plans After Losing Operations Director

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — North Shore School District 112 board members decided against attempting to put a ballot measure on school closures on next March's ballot at a meeting Tuesday. Aside from looking for a new superintendent, onboarding dozens of new staff members and addressing inconsistencies across the district's curriculum, one of the factors in the decision to drop any plans for potential referendum was the recent loss of Director of Operations, Facilities and Transportation John Fuhrer, the Highland Park News reports.

Fuhrer had been the project manager of the Reconfiguration 2.0 Community team, which was tasked with coming up with several possible school consolidation plans. Wednesday, he began a new job as director of facilities management for Township High School District 113, which includes Deerfield and Highland Park high schools. According to the Highland Park News, Fuhrer was attracted to the new position because it will allow him to lead a revamp of the maintenance programs at the two high schools.

Fuhrer will also be receiving an raise after the District 113 board approved a salary of $162,000, up from his 2016 salary of $138,848 after eight years with District 112. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Highland Park — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Even though the District 112 board decided not to try to pass a funding referendum next year, members agreed that some schools should close before the 2018-2019 school year, the News reported. According to the paper, the board hopes to make a final decision Oct. 3.

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