Huntley High School Principal Scott Rowe will be the next superintendent of Huntley School District 158.

The school board unanimously approved Rowe’s appointment at a special meeting Thursday night.

“This is a very humble moment for me to accept this position,” Rowe said. “It’s been a dream of mine … one that I didn’t expect this early in my career. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

Rowe will take over the position July 1. He previously was set to take on a new role as associate superintendent for sixth through 12th grades. Marcus Belin was hired to serve as Huntley High School's principal last week.

Rowe’s selection came after a national search – conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates – produced about 50 qualified applicants.

Rowe was selected among three finalists for the position. The other finalists were a sitting superintendent of a suburban Chicago school district and the former superintendent of a large, out-of-state district.

The district hired the search firm for $17,500 and later approved an additional spending allowance of up to $15,000 for ancillary costs, such as travel expenses and candidate background checks.

At Huntley High School, Rowe helped implement a blended learning program, a one-to-one learning initiative and helped establish Medical Academy, Engineering Academy and the new Fine Arts and Global academies.

Rowe also was part of the core planning team for the school’s $35 million renovation and addition project.

Rowe’s contract will run July 1 through June 30, 2022. He will be paid $205,000 through 2020, when his salary will increase to $210,000. From 2021 to 2022, he will make $215,000, according to the contract.

Rowe also will be eligible for annual bonuses of up to $10,000 for “successful completion” of performance goal objectives, according to the contract.