Superintendent Jennifer Gill announced at the Aug. 18 Springfield Public School District 186 board meeting that she will retire at the end of the 2025–26 school year.
"It is with great trepidation that I announced that this will be my final year," Gill said, adding she plans to "finish strong" and remain in office through the end of the next school year.
The announcement came during Gill’s superintendent’s report to the board, where she also highlighted start-of-school visits, construction progress at several buildings, and district programs. The board received a presentation from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) about conducting an executive search for Gill’s successor.
The IASB presentation, led by consultants from its executive-search team, laid out a timeline, costs and process steps the board would use if it hires the association to run the search. Carmen Ayala, a former Illinois state superintendent now with IASB, told the board the announcement of vacancy must include a salary range and benefits: "Beginning this past January, we are required to post the salary range and the benefits."
Matt Brew, one of the IASB consultants, said he would serve as the board’s lead consultant if the board hires IASB: "I will be your lead consultant. So you lucked out," he told board members.
What the IASB told the board
- Timeline: IASB proposed posting a survey to stakeholders immediately, holding optional focus groups in September, advertising the vacancy in September–October, screening applications in October–November, conducting first-round interviews in November, and aiming for a board decision in late December or early January so the incoming superintendent can transition before a July 1 start. The consultants said this schedule can be adjusted with the board’s agreement.
- Cost: IASB listed a base fee of $13,400 (based on district enrollment) with optional services that could raise the total by several thousand dollars; consultants quoted a daily consultant rate as an optional item in the materials. The board was told the full set of options and a contract can be finalized if the board votes to engage IASB.
- Outreach: IASB said it distributes vacancy announcements to an 8,000-person listserv and to partner networks across roughly 39 states, and it screens applicants against a district-built candidate profile.
- Legal and procedural points: IASB said it can conduct initial interviews and verify qualifications but that formal background checks must be run by the hiring district because the district is the employer. IASB also noted it is required to include a salary range and benefit summary in statewide postings.
Board next steps and local timing
Board members discussed options and asked detailed questions about costs, the drafting of the announcement of vacancy, stakeholder participation and candidate travel/expenses. No formal vote to hire IASB took place at the Aug. 18 meeting; the consultants told the board that a formal contract decision could be taken at the board’s next regular meeting on Sept. 2.
Board members also asked about competing searches in the region and how that might affect candidate availability; IASB said recruitment messaging and the district’s profile would help distinguish Springfield to candidates.
Why it matters
A superintendent transition affects district leadership for curriculum, staffing and large capital projects the district highlighted at the meeting. Gill noted recent building projects and district priorities during her remarks; the IASB consultants said they would incorporate those local priorities into the announcement and candidate profile.
What was not decided
The board received the consultants’ proposal and asked questions but did not hire a search firm during the meeting. Gill’s announcement is a notification to the board and public: she said she will remain superintendent through the coming school year and intends to depart at the end of that year. The board still must approve any contract with IASB and set the salary range and benefits to be posted with the vacancy announcement.
The board meeting packet included other business items—including approval of an audit-preparation agreement and several consent agenda items—but the retirement notice and the search presentation were the meeting’s most consequential personnel developments for the district.
Ending
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 2, when members expect to consider whether to engage IASB for the superintendent search and to set the specifics of any contracting and posting.