Geneva school district promoting assistant superintendent to top job

Andrew Barrett, currently Geneva District 304's Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching, is seeking appointment as the district's new superintendent.

Geneva School District 304 is promoting from within for its next superintendent.

The District 304 School Board on Jan. 25 selected Assistant Superintendent Andrew Barrett to take over when Superintendent Kent Mutchler retires in June. The board will make the appointment official at an upcoming meeting after negotiating a contract with Barrett, according to a district news release.

Barrett oversees learning and teaching. He has been with the district since 2006, when he was hired as principal at Mill Creek Elementary School.

“We are excited about this new direction for the district and our ongoing pursuit of Geneva 304′s Tradition of Excellence,” board President Michael McCormick said in the release.

Barrett became director of learning and teaching in 2011 and assistant superintendent in 2014.

“I have been truly honored to be part of the wonderful educational community of Geneva 304 for the past 17 years and I am beyond grateful to be entrusted with the important responsibilities that come along with the superintendency,” Barrett said in the release.

Barrett, who lives in Batavia, has a doctoral degree in educational policy, organization and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The district did a nationwide search that ended with two finalists participating in a public forum Jan. 24.

Mutchler has been superintendent since 2006.