Glenbard District 87 superintendent to retire

Glenbard High School District 87 Superintendent David Larson will retire after more than a dozen years in the role, officials announced Friday.

Larson, who has been at the helm of the four-school district since 2012, will step down at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

During his tenure, Larson sought to broaden access to Advanced Placement classes by building what he termed a “culture of leveling up” and partnering with nonprofit Equal Opportunity Schools to increase the number of students taking AP classes – the kind that awards college credit if they earn passing scores on AP exams.

With Larson in charge, the district completed a three-story addition that brought modern science classrooms to its oldest campus, Glenbard West High School. Larson also recently guided the district’s successful referendum bid.

Voters in March approved a $183 million borrowing plan by just a 404-vote margin. The funds will allow the district to make building repairs and improvements to all four Glenbard high schools over the next 10 years.

“Dr. Larson is an education leader who has consistently exceeded district goals,” school board President Margaret DeLaRosa said in his retirement announcement. “He initiated and nurtured a culture of academic achievement, equity, innovation and instructional excellence. He has led District 87 to adopt a growth mindset both inside and outside the classroom, while being recognized for fiscal stewardship.”

DeLaRosa described his leadership style as “collaborative, respectful and sincere.”

“The team and systems he has put in place reflect that culture,” DeLaRosa added. “We are excited to have Dr. Larson in place through the 2024-25 school year as we select our next leader and work through a successful transition of leadership.”

The son of a missionary anthropologist from Michigan, Larson was raised in the jungles and mountains of Indonesia, attended high school in Malaysia, and later became an educator in the states. But Larson had local ties: his brother and friends attended Wheaton College.

Larson, a former high school teacher and principal, previously served in three school districts in Michigan, the Singapore American School and the Palm Beach County School District in Florida. Before coming to District 87, Larson was superintendent of Birmingham Public Schools in suburban Detroit.

Glenbard school board members will soon begin the search for Larson’s successor. The board will discuss the search process when they meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the district’s administrative center in Glen Ellyn. The board plans to interview superintendent search firms to help find the district’s next leader.

Those firms include School Exec Connect, BWP & Associates and HYA, according to a board agenda. The selection of the search firm is expected to take place at a future meeting.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240524/news/glenbard-district-87-superintendent-to-retire/