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Board hires interim superintendent, launches confidential national search
Summary
The Sycamore School District board approved an interim superintendent agreement for Nick Reinick and contracted Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to lead a primarily confidential nationwide search with a proposed timeline aiming for a final candidate in December.
The Sycamore School District Board of Education approved an interim superintendent agreement for Nick Reinick and voted to begin a national search for a permanent superintendent, using Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to run the process.
The board unanimously approved the interim agreement for Reinick at the meeting, and HYA laid out a timeline that would produce a leadership profile for board approval by Sept. 30 and complete recruiting through November, with final-round interviews planned for early December. The consultants asked the board to designate a board liaison and an administrative point person to coordinate frequent communications during the search.
HYA told the board the firm recommends keeping the early part of the candidate slate confidential to increase the number of qualified applicants, and that public input would be gathered through surveys, focus groups and open forums. Consultants described a mixed-methods approach: stakeholder surveys and focus groups would be used to develop a leadership profile and core competencies; HYA said it would deliver a tiered first slate of candidates and would guarantee candidates placed from its tier‑1 slate for at least one year or re-run the search at no additional cost if a hire does not remain.
The board and consultants discussed logistics and timing in detail: consultants recommended completing stakeholder interviews and the leadership profile by Sept. 30 so recruiting could proceed through a six-week period in October–November. The board settled on two dates to hold first-round interviews and a tentative final-round date: a first-round block on Saturday, Nov. 8, and a second meeting window on Friday, Dec. 5, with final-round interviews on Dec. 6. Board members asked HYA to present a draft leadership profile for board review at a special Sept. 30 meeting; the board said it would use stakeholder feedback gathered before that date to finalize posting details and residency expectations.
Board members and consultants also discussed confidentiality, community engagement, background checks and compensation. HYA recommended a comprehensive third‑party background check for finalist(s) (an optional service with additional cost), and offered to prepare a market salary analysis and to review the district’s current superintendent contract if the board provided it.
The board approved the interim superintendent agreement and engaged HYA to conduct the search. The consultants said they will conduct one‑on‑one interviews with each board member, convene focus groups with stakeholders (including students if the board permits), deploy a districtwide survey, and present a leadership profile and candidate slate for the board’s consideration.
The board’s approval of the interim agreement and the decision to move forward with HYA conclude the meeting’s formal action on leadership transition; the board will consider final hiring decisions after the search process concludes and after any required public steps the board chooses to take.
