New superintendent picked to lead District 300 Susan Harkin, who was named Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 s superintendent Tuesday night, speaks to the Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 school board in this file photo. File photo/Courtesy Shaw Media
Updated 5/12/2021 4:44 PM
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 Chief Operating Officer Susan Harkin was named the district s next and first female superintendent at a school board meeting Tuesday night.
Harkin, who was hired as District 300 s chief operating and financial officer in 2012, also has previously served as chief financial officer of Crystal Lake Elementary District 47. As chief operating officer, Harkin oversaw District 300 s operating funds and core operational departments.
LAKELAND Frederick Heid is ready to bolt from the gate once he begins his tenure as the new Polk County Public Schools superintendent after being unanimously selected Tuesday night by the School Board.
One of his first priorities, he said, is to figure out who to hire for his executive leadership board – one that currently has several openings.
“I need to understand the vacancies and why those vacancies exist,” Heid said in an early morning telephone interview a little more than 12 hours after the Polk County School Board voted 7-0 to hire him. “I’m a big proponent of homegrown talent.