Next Sterling superintendent to earn at least $120K a year

BY JOSEPH BUSTOS SVN REPORTER jbustos@svnmail.com STERLING - The next Sterling School District superintendent will make a decent chunk of change. The school board Wednesday decided to offer $120,000 to $140,000 a year, depending on experience, when it advertises for the next person to run the 3,500-student district. Wil Booker, who was hired at $115,000 a year in 2003, retires at the end of this school year. By comparison, Rock Falls High School Superintendent Jane Eichman was hired at $115,000 a year two years ago to run the 730-student district. East Coloma Superintendent/Principal Kevin Andersen makes $83,000 a year at the 230-student school. Riverdale Superintendent/Principal Sarah Willey makes $76,500 a year at the 90-student district. The board has enlisted the help of the Illinois Association of School Boards to find a new superintendent. According to a survey the board members completed, they are looking for someone with district management experience, who will follow the educational philosophy of the board and the community and who will work with the board on long-range goals. They also want a "people person" with school finance experience, who will work on staff development and assessment. Dawn Miller, the association's director of field services, will use that information in the advertisement. She plans to present five or six candidates to the board in November; members hope to hire someone by December.