Schools
Scott Wakeley Leaving CUSD 115 for Position in Bourbonnais
Tim Shimp named new Superintendent of Schools Monday night.
After three years as superintendent of CUSD 115 Scott Wakeley is heading to what he described as his dream job.
Wakeley will helm Bradley Bourbonnais High School District 307, the district he grew up in and the district where his father taught school.
Leaving Yorkville will be bittersweet he said.
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“It’s a chance for my wife and me to return home. I’ve kind of always looked at that district as my dream job,” he said.
On Monday the Yorkville CUSD 115 Board of Education named Tim Shimp the new superintendent of schools starting July 1, 2013. A former Yorkville High School principal, Shimp was promoted to associate superintendent in 2010. He has worked closely with Wakeley and the board crafting the path of the district.
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“Tim knows what we’re doing and will be a great leader for the district. I predict good things are going to happen under him,” Wakeley said.
Wakeley said he learned about the opening in November from Shimp and applied. He had his first interviews over Thanksgiving and was offered the position last week. He said he immediately notified the board about the offer.
Wakeley said his tenure in Yorkville has been “one of the best professional experiences” he’s had. Looking back on his tenure, Wakeley said he’s proud of the direction the district is taking by “embracing a culture of continuous improvement.”
One of the continuing challenges he said still faces the district is changing the climate from a “system of schools to a school system.” He said students’ experiences in different schools need to be more uniform and instruction more consistent across the district.
“Tim is going to do a great job of addressing this and other issues that are sure to come up,” Wakeley said. “He’s been part of this process and that will make things more seamless.”
Prior to Yorkville Wakeley was Superintendent of Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424 for six years. He also served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Evergreen Park SD 124 and spent seven years as a principal and assistant principal in Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202.
Board officials said the transition will be seamless and will not change the educational direction of the district.
