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McAllister to become N.L. district leader
NEW LONDON, Jun 15, 2012 (The Hawk Eye - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Former Danville School District Superintendent Stephen McAllister soon will become the new leader of the New London School District.
He will replace outgoing New London Superintendent Chuck Reighard, who will retire at the end of the month.
McAllister's first day on the job will be July 2.
He has a three-year contract with a yearly salary of $110,000, along with other benefits, including a technology allowance, a retirement contribution and life and disability insurance.
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McAllister has been the assistant principal at Burlington High School for less than two years.
Besides Iowa, McAllister has taught and was an administrator in other places including Maine, Alaska and Arizona.
McAllister spent 12 years as superintendent in the Danville School District beginning in 1998 before accepting an early retirement package in 2010.
Earlier that year, McAllister was placed on administrative leave for two weeks after a pornographic video clip accidentally was uploaded to the school's shared computer network. A few seconds of the video clip was viewed by students of an eighth-period Spanish class. The video clip came from a computer belonging to McAllister's adult son.
But despite that, Laurie Hempen, president of the New London School Board, said McAllister will be an excellent leader for the school district.
Hempen said the New London School Board looked for different qualities in a superintendent, including experience in financial management, construction management and bonding and technology integration, since the school district is launching a 1-to-1 laptop initiative in the fall, which gives students the opportunity to use a laptop computer in the classroom.
"He was the most qualified candidate for the position," Hempen said. "It is important to the board that we have a successful launch to our 1-to-1 laptop initiative and that we use technology to increase student achievement. We also have major construction projects under way, and we need to have an experienced leader to handle these challenges."
In 2006, McAllister was recognized as one of the top 10 tech-savvy superintendents in the nation by eSchool News, an organization that recognizes kindergarten through 12th-grade education leaders for their leadership and vision in educational technology.
When McAllister first arrived in Danville, the school district had limited technology. A basic network was in place, consisting of a router and multiple hubs, but the district had no servers, limited software and very few computers.
Due to budget cuts in 2000, McAllister took over the duties of technology coordinator in addition to his role as Danville school superintendent, and he received no extra compensation until 2005.
Under McAllister's direction, the technology infrastructure was completely revamped in the Danville School District. Hubs were replaced with high-speed switches throughout the network, and fiber optics were installed to connect them. A new server room was constructed, with new servers installed for email, web service, student information systems, library automation and administration.
In addition, a Danville School District website was created in 2003.
"We are very excited to have his level of skill and knowledge in the New London School District," Hempen said.
McAllister was unavailable for comment.
Effective July 1, Mark Yeoman, associate principal at Aldo Leopold Middle School, will become the associate principal at BHS, filling the spot vacated by McAllister.
Hempen, who also is the director of human resources for the Burlington School District, said a replacement for Yeoman has been found.
"That recommendation will go to the school board on Monday night, so it will be public when the agenda is posted (today)," Hempen said.
___ (c)2012 The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) Visit The Hawk Eye (Burlington,
Iowa) at www.thehawkeye.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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UPDATED 1:30 PM EST - Jun 19, 2013
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