Elmhurst District 205 names interim leader, zeros in on 3 superintendent finalists

Elmhurst Unit District 205 School Board members hired an interim superintendent March 25.

Board members voted to appoint Linda Yonke, a retired superintendent of New Trier Township High School District 203 and a former principal of York High School in Elmhurst, to the interim role.

Yonke is a consultant with School Exec Connect, an Oak Park-based firm hired by the District 205 board to help search for a new superintendent.

Yonke will lead District 205 for the rest of the school year or until the district names a new superintendent to succeed David Moyer, who is taking the helm of a New York school system. Moyer’s last day was March 31.

“The search for Dr. Moyer’s successor is well underway and will not be impacted by Dr. Moyer’s departure on March 31,” school board President Kara Caforio said in a letter to district families.

Board members recently interviewed the final three candidates for the superintendent job, and hope the new administrative leader will be able to begin transitioning into the district before July 1.

“We’ve seen very high-quality candidates,” Caforio said. “We’re very pleased with the applicants and look forward to placing a leader of excellence in our district to begin the next chapter.”

In January, Moyer announced he would step down at the end of June after six years in charge to take the superintendent’s job in a district of similar size in LaGrangeville, New York, near Poughkeepsie. Moyer and the board worked together to develop a transition plan to give him “ample time to move and get settled in New York,” according to the letter sent to district families. Moyer and the board mutually agreed on March 31 as his last day.

Yonke will be in the top spot when students return to school full time April 12.

“The board is confident that the district’s academic and administrative operations are in good hands as we move forward to a full five days of in-person instruction for students on April 12,” Caforio said.

The district serves about 8,500 students in eight elementary schools, three middle schools and York High School.