Manhattan Board Approves Director of Operations Hire After Closed Session

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | May 13, 2026

Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education on Tuesday, May 13, 2026, approved an administrator contract for a new director of operations following a closed session, with the selectee identified as the current principal of an elementary school in Tinley Park. The board also approved a leave of absence for a teacher in the same post-closed-session vote sequence.

Director of Operations Hire Key Points:

• The board approved an administrator contract for the district’s new director of operations after returning from closed session at 8:35 p.m.
• The superintendent introduced the selectee as the current principal at Memorial Elementary School in Tinley Park, holding administrative endorsements as principal, superintendent and chief school business official.
• The vote followed a closed session entered at 7:43 p.m. for personnel, litigation, risk management and student matters.
• A leave of absence for a second-grade teacher was also approved coming out of closed session.

MANHATTAN — The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education on Tuesday, May 13, 2026, approved an employment contract for a new director of operations after returning from a closed session, filling a senior administrative post the superintendent said would help the district run efficiently.

The superintendent introduced the selectee earlier in the meeting, before the closed session, describing him as currently serving as principal at Memorial Elementary School in Tinley Park. According to the superintendent, the new hire holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and advanced degrees in education, with administrative endorsements as a principal, superintendent and chief school business official, or CSBO. “He is eager to contribute his experience in operations, finance, and organizational leadership to help our district run efficiently while creating the conditions necessary for student success,” the superintendent said, adding that the district was excited to welcome him to the “Manhattan family.”

The board entered closed session at 7:43 p.m. on a motion that cited the appointment, employment, compensation, evaluation, performance and dismissal of employees and independent contractors, pending litigation, risk management, student disciplinary cases, and the placement of individual students in special education programs. The board reconvened in open session at 8:35 p.m.

No formal action may be taken in closed session under the Open Meetings Act. Once back in open session, the board approved the administrator contract for the director of operations as presented, on a roll-call vote. The board then approved a leave of absence for a second-grade teacher at Anna McDonald Elementary, also as presented, before adjourning at 8:36 p.m.

The new operations director position aligns with the district’s stated fiscal and organizational priorities. Among the FY27 district goals the board developed with the Illinois Association of School Boards, officials listed developing a plan to reduce expenses in relation to revenue growth and developing a long-range facilities management plan — areas that fall within an operations and business portfolio.