Community High School District 117 Families,
On behalf of The Board of Education I am pleased to announce that after a national search was conducted, Dr. Jeff Feucht has been hired as the next Superintendent of Community High School District 117 starting on July 1, 2022. Dr. Feucht will replace Superintendent Dr. James McKay, who will be retiring on June 30. Superintendent McKay served District 117 for a period of 22 years, 12 of which in the capacity of Superintendent.
Dr. Feucht is currently the Superintendent of Lake Park High School District 108 in Roselle, Illinois. Prior to his current role, Dr. Feucht served for 11 years in Glenbard Township High School District 87 in Glen Ellyn, IL, the third largest high school district in the state. His tenure there included 8 years as Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services and 3 years as Assistant Principal at Glenbard West High School. He started his career in Elgin School District U-46 where he taught high school English and Social Studies for 11 years, served as a Division Chair at Bartlett High School, and led a large federal grant program for the district.
Dr. Feucht received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he graduated with high honors in 1998. He earned his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Aurora University in 2001 and his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Aurora University in 2011. He currently serves on multiple boards in DuPage County in the areas of Career & Technical Education, Workforce Development, and Special Education.
Dr. Feucht emerged from an applicant pool of 25 candidates from seven states as assembled by BWP and Associates, the search firm hired by the District 117 Board to lead the district through the search. As part of the process BWP consultants met with Board of Education members, administrators, union leadership and district staff in addition to offering a community wide survey. More than 235 participants took time to complete the survey, with the Board of Education and BWP consultants using the data to create a Leadership Profile to assist in the screening of applicants. After applying the data from the profile to the pool of candidates, BWP consultants screened 12 candidates and presented 6 to the Board of Education for further interviews. Dr. Feucht emerged as the best match to the District and the Leadership Profile.
Dr. Feucht shared “I am honored to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of an exceptional leader like Dr. McKay and am excited to get to better know the communities District 117 serves so I can hit the ground running on July 1. I will work hard to preserve the tradition of excellence the district has become known for, while also continuing the emphasis on continuous improvement that will allow us to meet the needs of all of our District 117 graduates.”
Dr. Feucht lives in Park Ridge with his wife, Vicki, and their two daughters. Please join me in welcoming him to the District 117 community as he participates in his transition events in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim McKay
Superintendent