On August 25, 2014, the Kaneland School District 302 Board of Education gathered for their first meeting of the school year. The meeting was held at Kaneland Harter Middle School at 6 p.m..

The largest topic to be discussed was the hiring and approval of the new Interim Superintendent, Dr. Ken Sorrick. The board members reached out to five candidates and ultimately decided that Sorrick’s previous achievements made him the perfect fit.

“We all definitely felt his energy and passion and excitement for improved educational performance and the fact that he believed he could make a positive difference in our organizational system…” Kaneland Board President, Cheryl Krauspe said.

After much discussion, the board reached a motion of 5-1. Board Member Tony Valente disagreed to the contract for reasons such as long periods of time without a permanent superintendent and concerns about the upcoming school year.

“This may impact the district severely,” Valente said.

Discussion of the interim superintendent lead to the introduction and greeting of Dr. Sorrick.

In honor of Dr. Schuler leaving, the President of the Board, Cheryl Krauspe, opened the

floor for public and board member comments regarding his departure.

“It’s really warming to know someone cares so much about our children,” Board Member Gale Pavlak said.

Dr. Schuler received a standing ovation in honor of his work with the district over his eight years as Superintendent.

In addition to wishing Dr. Schuler good luck, the board members made a point to announce that the school district will be straying away from the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) and Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT). Instead, the school will be transitioning to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test (PARCC).

Another goal that was discussed at the meeting was focusing on the Special Education program through the 6-12 level.

“We want to continue to raise staff awareness of diversity in the student body,” Dr. Jeff Schuler said.

As District 302 focuses on several goals this school year, one big goal was to keep students safe this upcoming fall. Starting on September 15, 2014, TransCanada, an energy company, will be upgrading three underground pipelines on the east side of the high school campus. The construction will affect the Kaneland High School band, the Future Farmers of America Organization (FFA) and Kaneland Youth Soccer Organization (KYSO).

This project is to be completed around November 1, 2014.

As the first board meeting of the school year came to a close, District 302 said goodbye to a well-respected superintendent and welcomed Dr. Ken Sorrick to the community.