Altamont School Board Ends Time w/Mayerhofer; Littleford Returns as Interim Superintendent

Altamont school board members Monday ended their time with Steve Mayerhofer as superintendent, and hired former superintendent Jim Littleford to serve as interim superintendent through the end of this school year.

(ALTAMONT INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT JIM LITTLEFORD AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT AS CHARLESTON SUPERINTENDENT, SEEN {left} WITH CURRENT CHARLESTON SUPERINTENDENT TODD VILARDO)

The Board had earlier decided to conclude their time with Mayerhofer as superintendent at the end of the current school year, which would have marked the end of his initial three-year contract, and is already utilizing the Illinois Association of School Boards to conduct a superintendent search. The Board is to begin interviewing candidates for the superintendent post this month.

Altamont School Board President Shelly Kuhns termed the decision to end things with Mayerhofer at this time a "mutual agreement" and "a gentle parting of the ways."

In the meantime, Littleford will return to serve as interim superintendent at Altamont, where he served as superintendent until leaving to become superintendent at Charleston. He retired from the Charleston district in 2017.

Also Monday, the Altamont board finalized an earlier discussed plan to accept Jerry Tkachuk's retirement as high school principal, but at the end of 2021, when AD and Assistant High School Principal Peggy Bueker will become principal. The Board also renewed the contracts of Grade School Principal Doug Hill and Assistant Grade School Principal Kris Biggs for next school year. The plan is for the four building administrators to assist one another, becoming three administrators when Tkachuk retires.

Kuhns said at the end of the 21-22 school year, when the new superintendent will have been on board for a full year, the administrative set-up will be reviewed to make sure it's working well.