Thursday, May 31, 2012
The search for a successor to Dan O'Donnell will likely conclude tonight, in a special meeting set for 7 p.m. at Oswego High School.
The search for a new superintendent for District 308 has been ongoing since March. Tonight, it’s likely to come to an end. The Oswego School District Board has called a special meeting for tonight, and the agenda strongly indicates that a new superintendent will be announced by the end of the night. The one action item listed, in fact, is as follows: “The Board will approve the new superintendent’s contract.” Board Member Mike Scaramuzzi confirmed Wednesday that the board has made its final decision on a superintendent. He said he was thrilled with the quality of the candidates brought forth by the district's search firm, Iowa-based Ray and Associates, and said the final two candidates, interviewed again at the end of May, presented board …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Next District 308 chief will receive about 17 percent more than outgoing O'Donnell.
Whoever is hired to replace Dan O’Donnell as superintendent of Oswego School District 308 will receive about a 17.5 percent pay increase over what O’Donnell made this year. According to the Ray and Associates job posting on the superintendent search firm’s website, the salary range for the new hire is $235,000 plus benefits. O’Donnell was paid $200,000 this year plus benefits, confirmed Kristy Kuntz, the district’s executive director of human resources. Board President Bill Walsh said the board partly looked at surrounding districts for guidance in setting the new salary guideline. “After the board reviewed comparable compensations of surrounding areas as well as listening to the feedback from all the groups interviewed by Ray and …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
More than 500 community stakeholders responded to a survey asking what qualities they want in the next superintendent of District 308 schools.
The Oswego District 308 School Board was presented Wednesday night with the results of more than 500 surveys filled across the district regarding the qualities stakeholders are seeking in the district’s next superintendent. Board members heard from Ray and Associates, the firm hired to conduct the superintendent search, that respondents want a leader who among other qualities, “inspires trust … and models high levels of integrity and personal performance, is strongly committed to a student first philosophy, is a strong communicator, has successful experience in sound fiscal practices and is able to build consensus and commitment among individuals and groups.” Along with the data from the survey questions, the firm also included in its …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tim Neubauer, assistant superintendent of business and finance, has accepted a position in Barrington schools.
Another top administrator in District 308 has handed in his resignation. Tim Neubauer, assistant superintendent of business and finance, has accepted a similar position with Barrington Community Unit School District 220, and will begin his new job July 1. Neubauer is the fourth top administrator to leave the district this year. Superintendent Dan O’Donnell gave his resignation last month, Assistant Superentendent Todd Colvin resigned in January and Assistant Superintendent Marsha Hollis will retire at the end of the year. Neubauer was the first external candidate hired by O’Donnell in 2009. “Tim has been a very valuable member of our administrative team. His expert knowledge of school finance and budgeting has helped the district weather …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
District will spend $31,000 to find replacement for Dan O'Donnell.
After a four-and-a-half closed session Monday night, the Oswego School District 308 school board unanimously approved the hiring of Ray and Associates Inc. to conduct the search for a new superintendent. Though the majority of the session was used to discuss other matters, representatives from the Cedar Rapids-based firm appeared before the board behind closed doors to discuss the search, which will cost the district a total of about $31,000. Board President Bill Walsh said Tuesday morning that the firm will begin working immediately to help find a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Dan O’Donnell who will leave the district at the end of June. The next step in the process will be individual meetings between board members and the firm …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Five firms presented their plans Monday night. Ray and Associates Inc. came out the winner.
The search is on to replace District 308 Superintendent Dan O’Donnell. The School Board heard from five superintendent search firms Monday night as they began the process of hiring a replacement for O’Donnell. After a closed session at the end of the meeting, they decided to negotiate a contract with Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, district spokeswoman Kristine Liptrot said. The firm will be asked to return to Oswego on Monday to discuss the terms of a contract and answers questions from board members. According to online board documents, Ray and Associates' presentation to the board placed the company's base fee for superintendent searches at $21,000. Before the closed session, board members questioned five firms vying for the …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Cost estimates for high school additions come in significantly under budget.
Parents at The Wheatlands Elementary School can breathe a bit easier today as the District 308 School Board voted unanimously Monday night to maintain current boundaries. The vote means students from the Four Pointes and Amber Fields North subdivisions will remain at the Wheatlands until boundaries are likely redrawn again in three years. Leaving the boundaries as is was the recommendation of the boundary committee, and superintendent Dan O'Donnell again assured the board that the administration will be able to handle any overcrowding issues that may arise at the Wheatlands in the coming years. "With some tweaking internally we can leave it as is at this point in time without having to move whole neighborhoods, and that's the basis of our…
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Outgoing superintendent leaving over differences in leadership philosophy with board.
The District 308 School Board voted Monday night to accept the original recommendation of its boundary committee in redrawing the district’s 2012-13 attendance lines. After another four hours of debate and public comment, the board voted 5-2 with board members Lynn Cullick and Laurie Pasteris voting no. Lessening the student population at The Wheatlands Elementary School was not addressed Monday night, and the board will discuss options for that at its March 5 meeting with a possible vote on those boundaries coming March 12. One option being considered for The Wheatlands would be to move students from the Four Pointes or Amber Fields North subdivisions to Wolf’s Crossing Elementary School. The special education Life Skills program also …
Friday, February 24, 2012
Superintendent Dan O'Donnell's personable manner will be missed, but surely he saw the writing on the wall months ago.
To anyone who closely follows the comings and goings of Oswego School District 308, the news Wednesday that Superintendent Dan O’Donnell had handed in his resignation came as no great surprise. O’Donnell and his administrative team have been not-so-quietly butting heads with the new School Board majority since their first meeting last spring. O’Donnell’s resignation was more of a case of when, and not if. As the old saying goes, to the victor goes the spoils, or even more so, elections have consequences. Board members Bill Walsh, Brent Lightfoot and Alison Swanson were elected in a pretty convincing fashion. For the most part, all three gave a pretty clear vision of how they wanted the district run. Their biggest campaign promise and most …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
District 308 chief stepping down after less than three years.
District 308 Superintendent Dan O’Donnell submitted his letter of resignation to the School Board Wednesday, according to district spokeswoman Kristine Liptrot. O’Donnell’s contract with the district was to expire in June 2013, and the board will vote Monday as part of the personnel report on whether to accept his resignation. His last day with the district likely will be June 30, Liptrot said. When asked why O’Donnell resigned, Liptrot could only say “the letter has not been released and it’s in the hands of the Board of Education.” Liptrot said the letter will be released after the vote on the personnel report Monday. O’Donnell began in District 308 in July of 2009. Update 5:55 p.m. Board members Laurie Pasteris and Brent Lightfoot …
Charlotte G.
11:31 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
Wendt is not from Iowa. He was an out-of-stater from a Kansas school district in 2007. That was not an issue back then, where he came from. Now, he is moving East again. Hopefully he is given the chance in Oswego that his prior district did, however his tenure there is turning out now. more ›