Community Unit School District 200 wants Wheaton and Warrenville families to help pick the next person to lead their schools.
The district opened a confidential online survey asking residents, parents and staff to weigh in on CUSD 200's strengths, challenges and future direction. Responses will directly shape the leadership profile used to recruit and evaluate superintendent candidates, according to the district's website. The deadline to respond is Thursday, Oct. 29.
The survey is part of a nationwide search the CUSD 200 Board of Education launched after announcing the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Jeff Schuler. The board hired Omaha-based McPherson & Jacobson, a firm that has conducted superintendent searches since 1991, to manage the process, according to a district announcement.
The district's survey page stresses that all responses are confidential. The search firm echoes that approach on the candidate side. Applicant names remain confidential until they are named finalists, and the board can request that names stay confidential until a final selection is made, according to the firm's website.
A posting on the firm's LinkedIn page lists Oct. 28 as the application deadline for candidates and July 1, 2027, as the expected start date for the new superintendent. McPherson & Jacobson says its typical search process takes two to three months, though timelines are tailored to each district.
The firm, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, employs more than 125 consultants across the country. Its process moves through five phases, starting with community input to identify the traits residents want in a leader and ending with interviews, selection and the establishment of performance objectives for the new hire.
The district named two McPherson & Jacobson consultants as points of contact for the search: Steve Joel ([email protected], 402-525-3221) and Steve Murley ([email protected], 715-212-5107).
Families and staff can access the survey through the district's superintendent search page. The next superintendent is expected to start July 1, 2027.
