Schools

D86's Law Wants Next Hinsdale South Principal Hired This Year

District 86 superintendent Bruce Law said he does not plan on having an interim principal during the 2014-15 school year.

Hinsdale Township High School District 86 superintendent Bruce Law said at Monday night's board of education meeting he plans to have a new Hinsdale South principal hired in time to take over next school year.

Ideally, Law said, Brian Waterman's permanent replacement would be hired in February or March, but there's no deadline.

"We are trying to get this done in as expeditious a manner as possible," Law said.

Waterman, who has been South's principal for the last six years, is leaving to become Lyons Township High School's principal at the end of June. 

RELATED: Waterman's Departure '100 Percent About LT,' Not D86

Law said he does not plan to hire an interim principal, as the district has done during the last two principal transitions at Hinsdale Central. 

Frank Kesman and Tom Paulsen are serving as Central's interim co-principals during the current school year. Mike McGrory left for a job in Iowa at the end of the 2012-13 school year, and the board recently approved the hiring of Mark Kolkman to take over as Central's principal next year. 

Kesman and Paulsen were also interim principals in 2009-10, the school year before McGrory took over. 

RELATED: Hinsdale Central's New Principal is on Twitter

The search period for South's next principal will be shorter than it was for Central after McGrory's departure, meaning the hiring process will be similar but not identical, Law said.

One element of the hiring process at Central that will take place at South during the coming months is community input.

"We will have opportunities for the South community to meet and talk to and engage the finalists," Law said.

In aiming to make a permanent hire with no transition year, Law's approach to the South vacancy is indeed different than former superintendent Nicholas Wahl's approach to the Central vacancy.

If the district does not find a permanent replacement by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, Law said he'd rather promote an assistant principal to acting principal than bring in multiple retirees as interims whose available work days are limited by pension stipulations.

The superintendent said there are assistant principals at South that would be "perfectly capable" to take over the principal role temporarily.

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