SYCAMORE – After seven years under the leadership of Superintendent Wayne Riesen, Sycamore School District 427 tapped a former elementary school principal to lead the district in 2012 and beyond.

All Kathy Countryman had to do in her first year was help craft a budget with only $800,000 in new revenue, replace a pair of top administrators and deal with an unexpected computer system failure that prevented students and teachers from completing basic work and major projects.

But the early challenges in Countryman’s tenure have not dampened her optimism and have prepared her for 2013, which could see more drop-offs in state funding, less local property tax revenue, tough decisions on potential cuts to programs and staff and the start of a multimillion dollar HVAC project.