Williamsfield will hire interim school superintendent

By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post

WILLIAMSFIELD – The Williamsfield Board of Education has decided to hire an interim superintendent of schools after negotiations with a finalist fell through.

Following interviews on May 9, the board narrowed the field to two candidates who had been presented after a search conducted by the Illinois Association of School Boards. Those finalists were then interviewed by board members and stakeholders from the district on May 13.

“We made an offer to one of the candidates we thought definitely fit the bill,” School Board President Chad Goff said Monday. “We just ran into some hurdles in negotiations that couldn’t be overcome.”

Goff would not provide names of the finalists.

Of the other finalist, he said, “He was a solid guy, no doubt. He had a lot of really great qualities that I think would have been beneficial to our district.”

But, Goff added, “We’re not requiring residency for a new superintendent, but he was probably an hour and a half or an hour and 45 (minutes) away, and there were some questions about longevity.”

The board and Superintendent Tim Farquer agreed to a mutual separation in early March, at which point Goff had said an interim replacement was likely. Farquer’s last day is June 30.

But Goff said the board’s view changed after IASB came up with six applicants and the field was narrowed to two.

“We were tickled we got as many (applicants) as we did. It is frustrating, sure. There was a lot of time and some resources put into it,” Goff said. “But we feel pretty confident the next time we do interviews, we’re going to have a great candidate to fill the role. From the start of this whole deal, I said we have to make sure and get this one right.”

The board held a special meeting on Sunday to finalize plans for hiring an interim superintendent. IASB will compile a list of interim candidates for the board to interview.

“Stakeholders probably won’t be involved in this one,” Goff said. “An interim is a little more hands-off than a full-time super.”

IASB will also post the full-time position on July 1.

Goff said the board will consider candidates who do not have experience as a superintendent and said the district could have Farquer’s full-time replacement hired before July 1, 2025.