Superintendent Karla Guseman's Administration Seeks Significant Salary Increases: School Board Vote

JOLIET, IL — Now that the 2025-2026 school year is practically over,Joliet Township High School District 204 Superintendent Karla Guseman is ready for the school board to take action on her administration's proposal to approve significant salary hikes for themselves.

The school board meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the administration center on Caterpillar Drive. The agenda item is listed under the topic of "Non-Bargaining Wage Proposal."

A couple of online documents are available for the community's inspection related to the salary increases for Guseman and her administration.

According to an agenda memo from Guseman's director of human resources, each certified and non-certified administrator will receive a 4.41 percent salary increase for the 2026-2027 school year and each non-bargaining unit staff will receive a 3.41 percent salary increase.

Additionally, each certified and non-certified administrator's board-paid health insurance cost share will increase to 90 percent.

"The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the 2026-2027 salary and benefits increases for the non-bargaining employees," the memo to Guseman from her subordinate reads.

A spreadsheet contained within the School Board's online agenda packet lumps in the salaries for several administrators and non-union staff into various categories.

For example, under the section labeled "Superintendents," the agenda indicates that $785,304 in funds will be used for salaries in the 2026-27 school year, an increase of 5.41 percent, from $745,000.

Next, under the generic section labeled as "administrators," the school board document indicates that the salary increase will be 4.34 percent, going from $4.53 million to $4,731,624.

Under the category of non-licensed administrators, the document indicates their salaries will climb by 4.41 percent, going from $535,229 in funds for this group of administrators to $558,833. Those in the spreadsheet slated to receive a salary increase for the 2026-27 school year of 3.41 percent are as follows: communications, cafeteria monitors, cafeteria West, cafeteria Central, transportation staff, plus cafeteria supervisors and security supervisors.

Meanwhile, last October, Joliet Patch obtained the current superintendent's contract for Guseman. The document shows Guseman has a multi-year employment agreement with the School Board that runs through at least June 30, 2029.

The document indicates that during the 2024-25 school year, Guseman's annual salary was $267,572 and the school board agreed to give her a salary increase for the current 2025-26 school year to $278,275 — a 4 percent pay increase of $10,703.

Based on the terms of the superintendent's multi-year contract, it appears that Tuesday night's school board vote in favor of the proposed administration salary increase means that Guseman's salary for the 2026-27 school year should climb even more, perhaps by another $10,000, if not higher.

After all, Guseman's superintendent's contract contains the following provision: "If the Board provides a salary increase to the administration, the SUPERINTENDENT will be provided no less than the percentage increase that is given to the administrative staff."

Back in October, Joliet Patch obtained the following salary data for District 204 employees under the Freedom of Information Act. According to the salary data, these members of the administration made the following salary during the current school year:

• Julie Adelmann, director of support services, $125,000

• Sheleah Blissett, district director of special services, $150,000

• Andre Bouey, director of student support services, $109,200
• Jamila Cage, director of district alternative services, $119,000
• Cicely Calhoun, director of human resources, $105,000
• Shelley Clark, director of equity and strategic partnerships, $113,659.
• Maribel Diaz, Academy coordinator Central, $100,880
• Kevin Fitzgerald, athletic director Central, $122,720
• Gabrielle Garrett, PPS coordinator West, $118,500
• Karla Guseman, superintendent, $278,275
• Sean Hackney, assistant principal for teaching and learning West, $134,160.
• Shad Hallihan, principal Central, $223,496
• Ilandus Hampton, assistant superintendent for business services, $284,670
• Angel Hauert, Academy coordinator Central, $160,464
• Edward Johnson, director of safety and security, $108,686
• Stephen Locke, assistant principal for operations Central, $145,129
• Lisa Luangsomkham, assistant athletic director Central, $118,000
• Brett Marcum, assistant principal for operations West, $125,628
• Dianne McDonald, assistant superintendent for education services, $182,083
• Christopher McGuffey, curriculum director, $105,443
• Nicole McMorris, curriculum director mathematics, $111,123
• Steven Millsaps, athletic director West, $138,369
• Susana Montano, curriculum director-English, $104,000
• Matthew Narducci, assistant principal student services West, $146,538
• Paul Adam Oswald, curriculum director-social studies and world languages, $131,780
• Brian Paczesny, director of buildings and grounds, $130,234
• Edgar Palacios, director of multilingual services, $135,200
• Tecara Parker, principal West, $157,860
• Maureen Pulaski, Academy Coordinator West freshmen, $131,780
• John Randich, PPS coordinator Central, $127,942
• Jeffrey Riley, assistant principal teaching and learning Central, $123,760
• Tiffany Rucker, Academy coordinator West, $108,160
• Kristine Schlismann, director of alumni and community relations, $149,725
• Stephen Seper, Academy coordinator Central, $126,712
• Jennifer Sitar, coordinator of special services Central, $101,481
• Bradley Uffelmann, network administrator district technology services, $115,572
• Tino Villaflor, assistant principal for student services Central, $150,934
• Angela Williams, coordinator of AVAC/transition district special education, $107,000