Dear U-46 Administrators, Colleagues, Families, High School Students, and Community,

The U-46 Board of Education is pleased to announce Dr. Suzanne Johnson as the District’s next Superintendent. Pending the successful outcome of contract negotiations and approval at a June 2023 Board meeting, she will assume the role on July 1, 2023.

Dr. Johnson brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to education to her new position. Most recently, she has been serving as the interim Superintendent since February 23, 2023, demonstrating exceptional leadership during this period of transition. Prior to her interim role, Dr. Johnson served as the deputy superintendent of instruction for the District for the past five years, making significant contributions to our educational programs and initiatives.

“The board is delighted to welcome Dr. Johnson as our new Superintendent. We look forward to working with her and are excited about the future of U-46,” said Board President Susan Kerr.

A proud graduate of Elgin High School, Dr. Johnson's journey in education began as a language arts teacher at Canton Middle School in Streamwood. Her passion and dedication led her through various leadership positions, including divisional associate principal and principal at Bartlett High School. She was appointed as the District's assistant superintendent of teaching and learning in 2013 before being promoted to the deputy superintendent position.

It is worth noting that Dr. Johnson is not only a dedicated education professional but also a parent in our school district, with two elementary students. This personal connection to our community further fuels her dedication to creating an exceptional educational experience for all our students.

Dr. Johnson holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from DePaul University, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois-Chicago. With her extensive educational background, she brings a deep understanding of instructional practices and a commitment to fostering academic excellence in our District.

As we celebrate this significant appointment, we want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Johnson on her well-deserved selection as our new Superintendent. Her expertise, leadership, and passion for education will undoubtedly guide our District toward continued growth and success.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Johnson as our new Superintendent of schools. We look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead under her leadership.

On April 24, HYA Associates presented a summary of their findings from the community engagement phase of the search process, including impressions of the District and the characteristics the Board should seek in the next Superintendent. This helped draft the Superintendent Search Leadership Profile.

Click here to view a summary of the findings.

The following is an update from U-46 Board President Sue Kerr announced during the April 10, 2023, Board of Education meeting. 

I want to give a brief update on the Superintendent Search.

The online survey will remain open through this Friday, April 14.  We encourage staff, parents, community members, and students to fill it out – it takes about 10 minutes.  The survey will give the Board not only information about what people would like to see in the next superintendent, but also opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the district.

The survey can be accessed on the district website by clicking on “Our District” at the top of the page, then on “Superintendent Search.”

The Search Firm has also been doing focus groups.  These include an in-person community focus group this Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 PM at the Family Welcome Center, 1019 East Chicago Street.  The focus groups will conclude by the end of this week.

At our April 24 meeting, the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea will present a Leadership Profile Report to the Board.  Following that meeting, the search firm will begin doing screening interviews with candidates.

The following is the complete statement by U-46 Board President Sue Kerr announced during the March 13, 2023, Board of Education meeting. 

Selecting a superintendent is one of the most important jobs of a school board.  The Board is pleased to announce the next step in its search for a permanent superintendent.

We will be working with a search firm to evaluate internal candidates who are interested in the position.

There are several reasons we decided to review only internal candidates. We are fortunate to have an outstanding group of administrators with superintendent endorsements who have the ability to transition into this position. We also believe that utilizing a “grow your own” strategy – a strategy the District has developed with other staffing positions – will result in a more efficient and successful transition for the District as a whole. Finally, several important initiatives are underway in the District – U-46 Rising, the introduction of a grade 6 through 8 middle school model, and infrastructure considerations, to name just a few – which an internal candidate would be familiar with and offer more effective oversight right from the start.

To help guide us in this process, we plan to work with the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA).  The past few months we have reviewed search firm presentations in other districts and particularly liked HYA’s survey instruments and reporting products. They also recently worked with another local district on an internal superintendent search.  

The search firm will assist us with processing applications and conducting community surveys, forums, and focus groups.  The Board wants community input on what people would like to see in a new superintendent and what they believe are the strengths and weaknesses of the District. HYA will be presenting their search plan at next week’s meeting on March 20.

We hope to conclude this process by the end of May, either by selecting an internal candidate or deciding to expand to a larger search.

We will provide regular updates on this process at board meetings.  We will also have information on the U-46 website.

~ U-46 Board President Sue Kerr

La siguiente es la declaración completa de la Presidenta de la Junta Educativa del Distrito U-46, Sue Kerr, que compartió durante la reunión de la Junta Educativa el 13 de marzo de 2023:

La selección de un superintendente es una de las tareas más importantes de la Junta Educativa. La Junta se complace en anunciar el siguiente paso en su búsqueda de un superintendente permanente.

Trabajaremos con una empresa de búsqueda para evaluar a los candidatos(as) internos interesados en el puesto.

Hay varias razones por las que decidimos evaluar únicamente a los candidatos(as) internos. Tenemos la suerte de contar con un excelente grupo de administradores con el certificado de superintendente que pueden ocupar este puesto. También creemos que utilizar la estrategia de "crecimiento propio" - una estrategia que el Distrito ha desarrollado con otros puestos de personal - resultará en una transición más eficiente y exitosa para todo el Distrito. Por último, hay varias iniciativas importantes en marcha en el Distrito - U-46 Avanzando, la introducción de un modelo de escuela intermedia de 6º a 8º grado, y consideraciones de infraestructura, por nombrar sólo algunas - con las que un candidato(a) interno estaría más familiarizado y ofrecería un mejor seguimiento desde el inicio.

Para guiarnos en este proceso, trabajaremos con la empresa de búsqueda Hazard, Young, Attea y Asociados (HYA, por sus siglas en inglés). En los últimos meses hemos evaluado las presentaciones de empresas de búsqueda de otros distritos y nos han gustado especialmente los métodos de encuesta y los productos de elaboración de informes de HYA. También han trabajado recientemente con otro distrito local en la búsqueda interna de un superintendente.

La empresa de búsqueda nos ayudará a tramitar las solicitudes y a realizar encuestas, foros y grupos de enfoque comunitarios. La Junta quiere la opinión de la comunidad sobre lo que le gustaría ver en un nuevo(a) superintendente y cuáles creen que son las fortalezas y debilidades del Distrito. HYA presentará su plan de búsqueda en la reunión de la próxima semana, el 20 de marzo.

Esperamos concluir este proceso a finales de mayo, ya sea seleccionando a un candidato(a) interno o decidiendo expandir la búsqueda a un nivel más amplio.

Le informaremos con regularidad sobre este proceso en las reuniones de la Junta.  También publicaremos información en el sitio web del Distrito U-46.

~ Sue Kerr, Presidenta de la Junta U-46