By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – A consultant wanting to help the Unit 5 School Board find the district’s next superintendent said she won’t recommend candidates with skeletons in their closet.

However, Diane Robertson, partner with the consulting firm School Exec Connect, told board members Wednesday night they might encounter people who left previous jobs with mutual separation agreements.

According to Robertson, such agreements are common when there are personality differences between the superintendent and the board, and not the result of any criminal activity or on-the-job failures.

“If we were to have a candidate like that that we think would be good for you to take a look at, we would definitely share with you what it was all about, and then you decide whether or not you even want to talk to that person,” said Robertson.

“But our goal is to try to bring you people with clean slates,” she said.

Robertson said ongoing transportation troubles in the district might scare away prospective candidates, but might attract others who are good at solving logistical problems.

“There might be somebody who’s an excellent transportation coordinator, a logistics person. I know that you contract your busing, but that could really help solve the problem, and they would jump at the chance to solve your busing problem,” Robertson said.

The board will vote at its September 25 meeting whether to hire Robertson’s firm at a cost of $23,500, plus expenses of up to $5,000.

The board is looking to replace Mark Daniel, who announced Monday he’s leaving at the end of the school year to look for a superintendent’s job near family in the Chicago area.

Meantime, the board agreed to award Daniel with a one percent pay raise for the remainder of his tenure at Unit 5. His salary for the current school year will be $205,642.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]