DeKalb school board could hire new leader in the next two weeks

DeKALB - The DeKalb School Board may be in the final phases of its effort to find a new schools superintendent. School board President Tom Teresinski said after Monday night's meeting that the board may select a successor to Brian Ali in the next two weeks. There was an initial pool of about 25 candidates, he said. That number has been pared down, but he was reluctant to say how many candidates are still under consideration. The board has been meeting several times a week to interview candidates, he added, and a second round of interviews has begun. "We have had a good group of candidates," he said. Most of the candidates have requested that their interest in the job be kept as confidential as possible. "We have tired to abide by the candidates' requests," Teresinski said. Teresinski declined to comment on what the pay for the position might be. In action at Monday night's board meeting: 4The board paid tribute to Ali at his last regular school board meeting. Board members gave him gifts and praised him for his work over the last five years. Ali said he was pleased to have worked with "some of the finest staff you could ask for." "It has been a privilege and a honor to be allowed to work with other people's children and to make them our children," he said. 4Board members gave final approval to teaming up with Northern Illinois University to operate Wright Elementary School in Malta. The school will offer programs not available at other district elementary schools, such as fine arts and technology programs. John Kelleher can be reached at jkelleher@pulitzer.net.