D218 Board Names Former Shepard Principal as New Superintendent

Following a national search, the Board of Education of District 218 voted on Monday to hire Dr. Ty Harting as superintendent of schools.

Harting, who appears in this photo with District 218 Board of Education President Marco Corsi, will replace Dr. John Byrne on July 1.

The Board of Education hired the consulting firm ProAct to screen candidates. Following an initial round of interviews, the field narrowed to three and ultimately concluded with the Board choosing to hire Harting.

“We were very happy with the quality of candidates who interviewed,” said Marco Corsi, president of the Board of Education. “Dr. Harting emerged as the best candidate for our continuing effort to develop life-long learners.”

Currently the assistant superintendent for Human Resources, Harting graduated from Eisenhower High School and has worked in all District 218 comprehensive schools.

“I am truly honored to be selected by the Board of Education as the next leader for Community High School District 218. I understand that there are significant expectations and challenges ahead of me, but I am excited about the opportunity to serve,” Harting said.

Academically, Harting emphasized the need to provide opportunities and set high expectations for both staff and students.

“We need to break out of this cycle of academic predictability that seems to be pervasive in so many of our schools across the nation. District 218 students have as much potential as students anywhere. We need to create environments where we acknowledge there are significant challenges but also understand that these are challenges we can overcome,” he said.

His experiences in teaching and administration in District 218 have provided a platform and vision for Harting.

“I look forward to continuing the work of our current superintendent, Dr. John Byrne, and to pushing this district to new heights. We need to continue to raise the bar for our own expectations for what we can achieve. That is the first step towards sustainable improvement in the academic achievement of our students,” Harting said.

Starting in 1989, Harting served as a teacher, coach, and dean of students at Richards High School in Oak Lawn; as an assistant principal at Eisenhower; and, as principal at Shepard High School in Palos Heights.

Harting has lived in District 218 virtually his entire life. He grew up in Blue Island and today lives in Palos Heights. All three of his daughters graduated from District 218.

He has earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Master of Arts in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago; Master of Education in School Administration & Evaluation Research, University of Illinois at Chicago; Certificate of Advanced Study with a Superintendent Endorsement, Lewis University; and, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Lewis University.