McAlister
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District 153 extends contract for new superintendent Scott McAlister

 

The District 153 school board approved a five-year contract for Scott McAlister, the incoming superintendent, for academic years 2021-22 through 2025-26.

Board members gave him a round of applause after approving the contract. Board President Shelly Marks said the board was “very excited” to have McAlister leading the district for the next five years, and expected “a seamless transition.” McAlister has been assistant superintendent this school year, learning from outgoing Superintendent Dr. Dale Mitchell.

District 153 school board president Shelly Marks congratulates Scott McAlister after the board awarded him a five-year contract as superintendent. (Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)

McAlister’s last five-year contract, awarded in 2018, covered his last two years as principal of James Hart School, this current year serving as assistant superintendent, and two years as superintendent. Those two years as superintendent were rolled into this new five-year agreement.

McAlister has spent the past year working alongside Mitchell who will be retiring in June. Mitchell has served as superintendent since 2004. McAlister said the year gave him a look at “the little things that constitute a difficult day for a superintendent” as the district dealt with all the changes brought on by COVID-19.

“It’s just been a lot of planning, answering questions, dealing with details, a lot of public health issues, personnel issues related to the pandemic,” McAlister said. “Nonetheless, it was a great learning opportunity. That’s part of the job. You never know what you’re going to be able to experience in a real-life crisis of historic proportions.”

When McAlister worked on his doctorate degree in education from Loyola University, Mitchell was his mentor. But McAlister said he didn’t get a full picture of the job because he was still serving full-time at Hart. His experiences this year have been much different. Working in the administrative area, McAlister said he got to be part of the day-to-day discussions and decisions giving him an accurate view of all the work that crosses a superintendent’s desk. 

McAlister taught government and economics at Munster High School and then accepted a position as an economics teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

“I taught for 16 years, and thoroughly enjoyed teaching, but I think at each stage of my career I was looking for a new challenge,” he said. McAlister was serving as assistant principal at H-F when he took the principal’s job at Hart, serving for seven years before moving into the assistant superintendent’s job.

“The nice thing about education is it provides a lot of different ways to interact with kids and staff members and families, so this is a logical step in that progression. I’ve loved everything I’ve done. There’s never been a job that I didn’t enjoy,” he said, adding he’s “excited” about the superintendent’s position.

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