Joliet HS Superintendent Fiasco Costs Six Figures

JOLIET, IL — Joliet's taxpayers will continue to pay ousted Joliet Township High School Superintendent Mike Hanson his regular salary until July and Hanson won't have to show up for a single day's work as part of the separation agreement. The school board's decision will net Hanson at least $87,500 in pay for doing nothing to benefit District 204.

"Dr Hanson will receive the value of the first year of his contract until June 30 but not the remaining two years," a statement from the school board president noted.

At a special 4 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Joliet's school board voted unanimously to part ways with Hanson. He moved to the Joliet area last summer after more than 25 years in South Dakota's public school system.

In December 2018, after spending several months working with a national search consultant firm, the school board picked Hanson to replace outgoing long-time Superintendent Cheryl McCarthy. Since then, the board underwent substantial turnover. Three new members were elected last April: retired Joliet Police Officer Jim Allison, Michelle Stiff and Matthew Kennedy.

Besides the Hanson payout, the school board will also spend an extra $17,950 in immediate pay increases, plus a monthly vehicle allowance, for Karla Guseman. She now takes over as the new permanent superintendent and remain in that role until at least July 2024.

Four current board members were responsible for the Hanson hiring debacle: current School Board President Tracy Spesia, Angel Contreras, Frank Edmon Jr. and Meg Cappel, who is now running for Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant's State Senate seat in the March 17 Democratic primary.

At Tuesday's 4 p.m. special board meeting, Spesia read from a prepared statement.

"JTHS has a long-standing history of high quality and consistent leadership so the board of education understands that the abrupt resignation and ending of Dr. Hanson's contract could be concerning, particularly because this is not the norm for our district," she told the audience.

"We want you to know that this mutual separation is not a result of fault or misconduct. Both Dr. Hanson and the board of education believe that a separation is in the best interest of the district," she continued.

On Tuesday, two board members voted against the contract to make Guseman superintendent. Her pay will now increase from about $171,634 this school year to $215,000 and come July, her salary will grow another $11,000 to $226,000.

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Allison and Kennedy voted against her contract because they opposed the provision in the contract giving Guseman an extra $375 per month as a vehicle allowance.

Both men told Joliet Patch after the meeting they wholeheartedly supported the appointment of Guseman to lead District 204 forward.

Guseman, who turns 44 this week, grew up in Joliet. She became a science teacher in 2000 at Joliet Central before pursuing a career in administration six years later. She has been the district's assistant superintendent of education services since 2011.

According to her bio, Guseman lives within District 204. One of her children graduated from Joliet Central in 2017, another is a junior at Joliet West and a third child will attend Joliet Township High School in two years.

Hanson was a no-show at Tuesday afternoon's board meeting and school officials were reluctant to talk about him with Patch.

Documents show that Hanson actually signed his name on the formal separation agreement two weeks ago, on Jan. 29.

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Besides agreeing to pay Hanson for five full months to stay off the job and away from the administrative center, the Joliet Township School Board signed a letter of recommendation that Hanson can now give to prospective employers.

The letter includes the following: "Dr. Hanson thoroughly prepared for his leadership role at Joliet Township High School District 204. On day one, he was familiar with key staff members' names and roles, the history of the district and the details of our strategic plan. Throughout his time at District 204, Dr. Hanson dedicated himself to broadening his understanding of all aspects of the district. He especially focused on spending time on our high school campuses, in the hallways and in the classrooms."

Hanson's recommendation letter ends with the following: "In particular, Dr. Hanson's experience with school finances, his effective presentation skills and his personal and solicitous manner were noted by the JTHS Board of Education members. We have no doubt that that he will use these to positively impact a school district in the future and we wish him the very best in those endeavors."