Search For Superintendent In Northbrook D28 Enters Final Steps

NORTHBROOK, IL — The applications are in. Following an Oct. 31 deadline, 32 people have applied to become the next superintendent of Northbrook School District 28. Those will be whittled down to 10 for review by the board of education on Nov. 9, according to a Board Briefs email from the district.

School Exec Connect was hired by the district to consult on the hiring process to replace current superintendent, Dr. Larry Hewitt, who is retiring at the end of the school following 33 years as an educator.

"For 15 years Dr. Hewitt has served the community and children of Northbrook 28 with integrity, compassion and dedication," Board President Tracy Katz Muhl said in a statement. "As a board, we are striving to hire a new superintendent who will uphold our values and expectations of continuous improvement for many years to come."

According to a profile created by School Exec Connect for the position, the next superintendent should be "student-centered, innovative, confident, resilient and have a deep knowledge of best practices in teaching and learning. The next leader should communicate decisions with clarity, reason and empathy after considering input from all stakeholders. And, the next leader should be genuine, caring, personable and skilled at building trust and maintaining the positive climate and culture of the district."

The profile, according to the Board Briefs, was developed after the Board of Education invited more than 2,700 teachers, support staff, administration, parents, community members and students to participate in focus groups and/or an online survey about the district’s strengths and challenges, priorities and characteristics of a new superintendent. There were 458 responses to the survey and 98 people who participated in focus groups.

“There was a real consistency in what people said,” said School Exec Connect Consultant Linda Yonke, a former York High School principal and New Trier High School superintendent. “In particular, of the many searches I have been involved in, I have never seen parents and teachers so in sync in terms of strengths, challenges and qualities they would like to see in a superintendent.”

The New Superintendent Profile will be used to screen candidates and present a slate of about 10 candidates for the board to review in a closed session on Nov. 9. The Community Engagement Report and the Superintendent search timeline is posted on the district’s superintendent search webpage. The board hopes to hire a new superintendent before the end of 2021.

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