Kaneland School District 302 board members have selected Round Lake Area School District 116 Assistant Superintendent Kurt Rohlwing as Kaneland’s next superintendent.
Rohlwing will take over the reins at the district after current Superintendent Todd Leden retires at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
The school board started a search last fall to look for Leden’s replacement.
“We were very impressed with all the candidates, which made the decision challenging,” Kaneland School Board President Addam Gonzales said in a news release.
Leden announced last year that he will retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year. Leden began as superintendent in the Kaneland School District on July 1, 2015.
Rohlwing’s years in education and leadership roles made him the front-runner, Kaneland officials said.
“His commitment to excellence, energy and drive impressed the board. Additionally, his extensive educational background, including an Ed.D. in educational leadership and over 23 years of experience in education, made him stand out as someone with a well-balanced background for this role,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales said Rohlwing’s experience in multiple levels of school administration, including serving as assistant superintendent and director of secondary education, “showed the board that he deeply understands the education system and could lead the district effectively.
“Overall, the board of education sees the new superintendent as a highly-qualified candidate with the experience, education and leadership skills needed to lead the school district into the future successfully,” Gonzales said.
Rohlwing has a doctorate in educational leadership from Aurora University.
Gonzales said the board opted not to hire an outside consultant for the selection process.
He said the board decided to take on the task “to make the best decision for our community.”
There were a number of meetings held to consider the finalists for the job of superintendent, Kaneland Director of Communications David Chavez told The Beacon-News. There were three candidates in the semi-final round and then two went to the final round, Chavez said. All candidates were from the region, he said.
Rohlwing said he’s “thrilled and honored” to be chosen to be the next superintendent in Kaneland School District 302.
“I look forward to continuing the work currently being done by Dr. Leden and the Kaneland staff and building on that work to provide the Kaneland community with the best possible school experience. I was drawn to this opportunity due to the strength of the community and my family, and I look forward to becoming a part of the Kaneland community over the next couple of years,” Rohlwing said in the news release.
Rohlwing will officially take over as superintendent on July 1, 2025. During the 2024-25 school year, he will meet with all district stakeholders to build relationships, take tours of the schools, review curricula and analyze the community’s goals, school officials said.
Leden will be part of the transition through the end of next school year.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
