At its regular meeting on May 12, the District 209 school board appointed Dan Johnson as interim superintendent going into the 2020-21 academic year. Johnson replaces outgoing Supt. Jesse Rodriguez, who is leaving at the end of this school year to become superintendent of Zion-Benton Township High School District 126.
Johnson has worked within Proviso Township High School District 209 for 20 years. His experience ranges from being a classroom teacher to serving as an assistant principal at both Proviso East and Proviso West, district officials said in a statement. Most recently, he was the district’s director of student and family services.
“We know that Mr. Johnson will help maintain consistency and ensure effective and efficient operations. He is respected in our community and I look forward to working with him and our board in our quest for excellence,” said D209 Board President Rodney Alexander.
“It has been a great privilege to serve the students and families of the Proviso community for the last 20 years. I’m honored and humbled that the board has appointed me to serve as interim superintendent, and I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside our caring and dedicated faculty and staff in this new role,” Johnson said.
Johnson will serve as interim superintendent effective May 13 until the board selects a new permanent superintendent by July. Johnson will be paid based on a prorated annual salary of $220,000 — or $6,431 for the 38 days the district anticipates his interim role to last.
Last month, the D209 school board opted to restart its search for Rodriguez’s successor after an executive search process facilitated by the firm Ray and Associates had whittled down 45 applicants to three finalists.
“After our last round of interviews, we let it gestate in our collective mind and we realized we didn’t find anyone who is a perfect fit and so we reopened the application process,” said former D209 Board President Ned Wagner on April 25. Wagner said the position was reposted on Monday and applications will be accepted until June 5.
