Dist. 211 superintendent announces he'll step down early

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 Superintendent Roger Thornton will retire at the end of 2008, six months before the end of his contract.

Thornton, 63, submitted his retirement request to the school board during a closed-door session of a Jan. 17, saying it is the "right time" to step down from the job he has held since July 2004.

The board accepted his request in a vote during open session later that evening.

Thornton's last day will be Dec. 31.

Thornton will still receive an $18,620 retirement payment previously approved by the board. His salary will be pro-rated for the 2008-09 school year, though, meaning he will receive half of his proscribed pay, or $109,790, and is eligible for full retirement benefits.

However, mindful of former Elgin Area School District U-46 Superintendent Connie Neale's 2007 retirement package, which came under scrutiny for its benefits many saw as gratuitous, District 211 school board President Robert LeFevre said Thornton's package is fair.

"He's been under the same compensation benefit package all along, and we're not adding anything," LeFevre said. "There are no perks."

Thornton's total salary for the 2007-08 school year, including retirement and health insurance contributions, is $214,225, and he had been slated to earn $219,580 in 2008-09, including benefits.

When Thornton was first hired as superintendent in 2004, he earned a base salary of $180,500, not including benefits. His base salary has increased approximately 9 percent since then.

Thornton agreed to a three-year contract in 2004. In 2006, that contract's final year was amended, and the board gave him an extension that expires June 30, 2009.

The announcement that Thornton will not stay until then did not surprise the board, LeFevre said. Thornton's contract allows for early retirement to help smooth the transition in searching for a new superintendent.

Additionally, during last year's labor negotiations, teachers union officials speculated the board wanted to avoid simultaneously searching for Thornton's replacement while negotiating any future contracts.

District 211 Teachers Union President John Braglia chose not to comment about Thornton's impending departure. During last year's contentious labor negotiations, Braglia said District 211 needed a superintendent like former leader Gerald Chapman, who spent 36 years in the district.

During the past two contract negotiations, the union twice has offered a "no confidence" vote for Thornton.

LeFevre, however, said board members have been pleased with Thornton's performance, although they would have preferred for him to finish out his contract.

LeFevre could not say when and how the search for the district's sixth superintendent would take place.

"I guess we'll get back together as a board and see what people want to do," he said. "I like to get things done fast."

When conducting the nationwide search in 2003 that ultimately yielded Thornton's hire, the district employed a search firm that gathered the opinions of board members, district staff and residents.

Thornton served six years as the executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents before arriving in District 211 to replace Robert Malito. Previously, Thornton spent more the 30 years as a teacher and school administrator.

One of the highlights of his tenure was voter approval of the 2005 tax-rate increase, which was the first for District 211 in 37 years.