St. Charles School Board picks search firm to find superintendent’s successor

St. Charles School Board members on Tuesday voted unanimously to hire executive search firm Schaumburg-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to help lead the search to find School Superintendent Jason Pearson’s successor.

Pearson recently announced he will be leaving the district to become the superintendent of Northbrook School District 28 beginning July 1. Pearson will replace Northbrook Superintendent Larry Hewitt, who has been in the post for the past 15 years, when he retires on June 30.

HYA is also working on the district’s strategic plan. Board member Joseph Lackner thought it would help out the search for a new school superintendent that the firm is already working on the district’s strategic plan.

“I view using the same firm for both as a positive,” Lackner said. “The fact they’re spending time learning about what our intentions and goals will be as a good positive contribution to the search efforts.”

The district will now work out a contract with HYA. Pearson has served as superintendent since 2017 after joining the administrative team in 2010 as an assistant superintendent and then deputy superintendent in 2016. His contract was renewed in 2019 and runs through June 30, 2022.

His current base salary is $231,198 a year. Pearson will see his annual salary increase to $245,000 a year in his new job. The last time the district used a search firm was when Donald Schlomann was hired in 2007 to replace Barbara Erwin.