U-46 Board of Education Approves Superintendent Contract 
Agreement with Dr. Suzanne Johnson lasts through 2025-26 school year 

ELGIN - The School District U-46 Board of Education approved a multi-year superintendent contract for Dr. Suzanne Johnson, who began her career in education at U-46 26 years ago. Since February, she’s served as the district’s interim superintendent.

Dr. Johnson will officially assume the role of superintendent in the state’s second-largest school district on July 1, 2023. The Board voted 7-0 Monday night in favor of the agreement.

In short remarks after the vote, Dr. Johnson noted that her parents were career educators in U-46 and said she considers leading U-46 “the greatest role in the world.”

“Thank you for your trust and support,” she told the Board. “I look forward to certainly continuing to work with all of you and to working for, first and foremost, our students in U-46, and our colleagues, our families, and our community.”

Board President Sue Kerr expressed appreciation to her fellow Board members for the time they devoted to the superintendent search process, as well as U-46 employees who facilitated the work and members of the community, students, staff, and parents who provided valuable input.

“Determining who should next lead U-46 is one of the most important decisions we will make as a board. We are fortunate to have had such a strong and experienced candidate in Dr. Johnson,” she said. “This contract sets a framework for the indicators of student academic improvement we will be looking to achieve as we work closely with Dr. Johnson on behalf of our 35,000 students and their families.”

The contract, which runs through June 30, 2026, starts with a base annual salary of $282,500 for the 2023-24 school year and includes a 3 percent pay increase to the superintendent’s base salary for the 2024-25 school year. The third-year increase is based on a summative rating from the Board as described in the contract. The superintendent shall also be eligible on an annual basis for an additional increase of base salary, based on her performance goals.

Five performance goals are included in the contract, tied directly to the District’s goals in areas including early childhood education, educational pathways, building and facilities improvements, and work around U-46 Rising. The fifth goal is the creation of a new strategic plan to guide U-46’s work for the next five years. In addition, the contract calls for Dr. Johnson to prepare refined and/or additional goals by no later than Oct. 31, 2023, to then be reviewed and approved by the Board.

Dr. Johnson had served for five years as U-46’s deputy superintendent of instruction when the Board appointed her as interim superintendent on Feb. 23, after the district’s previous leader, Dr. Tony Sanders, was named state superintendent for Illinois.

A graduate of Elgin High School, Dr. Johnson, returned to her U-46 roots to teach language arts at Canton Middle School in Streamwood. Dr. Johnson's first administrative role was as a divisional at Bartlett High School. She quickly advanced into the role of associate principal and then principal prior to moving into a role in central administration in 2013, first as an assistant superintendent of teaching and learning before being promoted to the deputy superintendent position.

Within U-46, Dr. Johnson is known for her deep understanding of instructional practices and a commitment to fostering academic excellence. Dr. Johnson holds her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from DePaul University, and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Dr. Johnson and her husband, Ben, live in Streamwood. They have two children, Will and Evan, who are U-46 students.

###

School District U-46 serves families in 11 communities: Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood and Wayne, as well as portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago. In total, the District encompasses 90 square miles within the Fox River Valley, approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Chicago, and includes communities within Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. More than 35,000 preschoolers through 12th graders attend the 57 District schools and programs. To learn more, visit the U-46 website, or like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.