The Spartans have a new principal.
Valley View School Board unanimously selected Derek Kinder to replace Principal John Sparlin who left last month to take a job in Morton High School District in Cicero and Berwyn.
Kinder's base salary will be $125,000. He was selected out of 36 people who applied and was chosen from three finalists. Kinder, who was named acting principal in August, has been with the district for 10 years. He served as assistant principal at RHS since the 2006-07 school year.
Prior to that he was curriculum coordinator for the district for a year and a social studies teacher at RHS for five years, including one year as department chair.
A graduate of Joliet West High School, he attended Illinois State University as a Division I student athlete and graduated from University of St. Francis with a bachelor's degree in history and secondary education. He has a master's degree in educational administration from Governors State University.
Catherine Ann Velasco has covered education and children and family issues for The Herald-News since 1997. She keeps an eye on schools in Will and Grundy counties. Her best stories always come from readers’ tips or public comment during a board meeting. So if there’s some good news or bad news at your school – she’d like to know. Join the conversation about the twists and turns and surprises that pop up on her beat. And, find some extra news that she just can’t wait to tell you.
He has already been there ten years and still they have one of the lowest graduation rates in the country?
Well done!
I just came across this and after reading your comment I had to respond..
How about congratulations to the parents also.. I say it has more to do with the parents then it does with the school staff.