Updated 1/7/2022 9:56 AM
A familiar name has been tapped to serve as East Maine School District 63’s next superintendent.
Shawn Schleizer, currently the Des Plaines-based district’s associate superintendent, will fill the role effective July 1, the school board decided Thursday night.
Current Superintendent Scot Clay announced in September that he planned to retire this summer.
Schleizer joined the district in 2010 as principal at Melzer Elementary School. He was promoted to assistant superintendent of human resources in 2014 and to his current post in 2017.
In a news release, Schleizer said he’s “excited to continue working with the entire District 63 community to build on our past success.”
Schleizer previously worked in Elgin Area School District U-46, Evanston/Skokie District 65 and Elmwood Park District 401.
Schleizer was among more than 30 candidates evaluated for the post, officials said in the news release.
“Dr. Schleizer has been a key part of our leadership team for more than a decade and an integral part of our success,” school board President Alexandra Brook said in the release. “His in-depth knowledge of (the district), ability to build and manage an outstanding staff and unwavering commitment to ensuring that every student receives an equitable education is exceptional.”
Schleizer will collect a $220,000 base annual salary in his new role, officials said.
Clay has served as District 63’s superintendent since 2009. He previously served as the district’s assistant superintendent of personnel and pupil services and as the principal at the now-closed Stevenson Elementary School in Des Plaines.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better professional home than District 63,” Clay said in the news release. “My time here is one I will treasure.”
Before coming to District 63 in 2003, Clay was a teacher and administrator in Waterloo, Indiana.
District 63 serves Des Plaines, Niles, Morton Grove, Glenview and Park Ridge. It has about 3,500 students, from preschoolers through eighth-graders, in seven schools.
