The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education on July 8 discussed edits to the job description and the multi-phase process to hire an assistant superintendent for academics, directed staff to remove the current posting for revision and agreed to let building principals proceed with planned school-year work while the district considers either an internal interim appointment or a permanent hire for the 2026–27 school year.

Board HR staff and district administrators told trustees the current posting would be taken down to incorporate feedback from members and stakeholders and that any permanent external hire would likely begin July 1, 2026, if the board follows a typical recruitment timeline that includes stakeholder panels, background checks and finalist interviews.

The board’s HR staff member Jody outlined the hiring steps the district used previously: an initial recruitment and screening of roughly 50 applicants, seven candidates taken to the first interview round, four to the second round and three to the third round; that process narrowed to finalists recommended to the board. Jody said the district can either engage a search firm or run the process internally and recommended background checks and a pre-finalist internet/social-media review be done on a small set of candidates before finalists are brought to the board. “That would be a decision that would need to be made,” Jody said.

Assistant Superintendent Bryant described the role as the district’s instructional lead who would guide curriculum, staff development, course recommendations, grants work, and districtwide coherence while supporting building leaders. Bryant said responsibilities include overseeing course recommendations, administering grants related to multilingual learners and determining data systems for interventions and review.

Trustees and administrators debated minimum qualifications and scope in the posting. Several board members said high-school principal experience and district-level experience should be emphasized in screening criteria. Board member comments also raised whether the position should require a superintendent endorsement and whether the job description clearly signals who the assistant superintendent would coordinate with—department chairs, assistant principals for instruction (APIs), the director of data and analytics and the superintendent.

The district’s timeline and process drew questions about candidate availability. Jody said many prospective candidates are contracted with current employers and that December–January is often the “sweet spot” for attracting candidates at this level. The board discussed using either a national search firm (noting higher cost) or lower-cost services such as IASA, and the tradeoffs of each approach.

Administrators told trustees they are preparing building-level work so schools can start the year without a permanent assistant superintendent. Principals Bill Walsh (Hinsdale Central) and Dr. Carrie Peranto (Hinsdale South) presented working documents describing priorities for the coming year—MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support), curriculum and instructional practices, grading consistency, and operational items—and said building teams are prepared to continue the work. Board members unanimously gave principals “the green light” to proceed with those building plans while the larger hiring decision is resolved.

Superintendent-level staff said the district could appoint an internal interim to serve one year while a permanent search proceeds; that option would require short internal processes and contract adjustments and would carry additional cost. One board member estimated, as an example, that the salary and related carry costs for a filled administrator position represent roughly $200,000 plus about $100,000 in additional carry costs; that estimate was offered in discussion as an approximate figure and not presented as a formal budget action.

The board directed Jody and trustees Liz and others to update the job description to reflect the committee feedback and remove the current posting; trustees confirmed agreement at the table. The board also asked that the forthcoming hiring process be posted publicly, include community stakeholder input (surveys and focus groups), use consistent stakeholder interview panels, and ensure background checks and internet searches occur on a small short list before finalist interviews.

No permanent hire was selected at the July 8 meeting. In open session trustees later moved to adjourn to closed session to discuss personnel and litigation exceptions under 5 ILCS; that motion was made by Member Fisher and seconded by Member Mitta, and the roll call recorded unanimous support from the members present.

Next steps identified by the board: update and republish the job description, consider whether to engage a search firm or run the search internally, post the search timeline publicly, collect stakeholder feedback via surveys and focus groups, and decide within coming weeks whether to appoint an internal interim for up to one year while the board conducts a permanent search for a July 1, 2026 start.

The board also asked the administration to publish building plans and summary documents for community review and to include clearer metrics tied to instructional goals and MTSS outcomes for the coming school year.