Board of Education » Superintendent Search

Superintendent Search

Thank you for visiting the Superintendent Search portion of our District website.   The Belvidere Board of Education will provide regular updates here regarding progress on the search for Belvidere's next educational leader.    As we go forward, you will find key dates and announcements posted on this page throughout the search.  The Board is committed to transparent communication with our school stakeholders, while keeping all confidential information completely confidential.  

The Board has approved Kathleen Helewa Educational Consultants, LLC to facilitate the search process.   Ms. Helewa comes to us with distinguishing and extensive experience in conducting many successful superintendent searches, as well as prior experience working with our District.   Ms. Helewa is pleased to answer any questions regarding the process.  https://www.khelewaconsulting.com/contact  

Thank you for your support of the Belvidere Board of Education in this crucial undertaking.   Our Board is dedicated to hiring an inspiring, dedicated, and experienced educational leader for Belvidere.  We are excited to begin the search for our new, permanent Superintendent of Schools!

September 2, 2025

Meet Our Next Superintendent, Dr. Jessica Garcia!

Dr. Jessica L. Garcia is a dedicated and passionate educator with a strong commitment to student-centered leadership and academic excellence. Dr. Garcia’s educational experiences include Principal, Child Study Team Director, Preschool Director, Special Education Teacher and more. She brings a wealth of experience in developing collaborative educational communities and fostering inclusive programs that support diverse learners.  She is currently the District Child Study Team Director, Preschool Director, and Principal of the Brass Castle School for the Washington Township School District, Warren County, where she has worked for ten years
Dr. Garcia earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, specializing in Special Education, and was recognized with the Alyce Hunter Dissertation of the Year Award. Her leadership extends beyond her district roles, serving on the Warren County Curriculum Consortium, presenter and panelist on statewide education initiatives, and more.

Dr. Garcia is deeply committed to equity and inclusion for all learners, and she skillfully manages programs that enhance special education, bilingual/ELL services, and multi-tiered systems of support. Dr. Garcia’s work is grounded in data-driven practices and a collaborative approach that empowers educators, students, and families alike.
 
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr. Garcia is a proud wife and mom of three daughters. Her passion for education is matched by her love of family, music, dance, and travel, which enrich both her personal life and her educational philosophy. She believes in the power of community and continuous growth, inspiring those around her to reach their fullest potential.
 
 
 
August 21, 2025
 
The Belvidere Board of Education advanced four candidates for Superintendent from the eight highly qualified educational leaders who were selected for a first interview.  After a long and robust round of interviews, the BBOE invited a particularly impressive candidate to meet with the Board on Saturday morning, August 2 and subsequently entered into contract negotiations with the candidate, and performed a comprehensive reference check on the selected candidate.  
 
After contract negotiations and the reference check were both successfully completed, the Belvidere Board of Education formally approved Dr. Jessica Garcia as the next Superintendent of the Belvidere Public School District at its August 20 meeting.   Dr. Garcia will begin work in the District on or by the third week of November.    Please read her bio on this page to learn more about our incoming Superintendent! 
 
The Belvidere Board of Education is grateful for the support of our entire learning community during this process. We are proud to hire Dr. Garica, and look forward to introducing her to all of you!  
 
 
 
August 4, 2025
 
The Belvidere Board of Education unanimously identified and interviewed eight strong candidates for the position of Superintendent of Schools for first round interviews, and, from that group of accomplished educational leaders, advanced four individuals to a second round of interviews.   The Board is working towards selecting a finalist for the position, and is on-track for identifying the next Superintendent of the Belvidere School District before September. 
 
Updates will be posted here as we are able to share them.   Thank you for your continuing interest and support!
 
 
  
July 1, 2025
 
As of the close of the application window on June 29, thirty-six candidates have applied for the position of Superintendent: ten Superintendents, five Assistant Superintendents, five individuals in school district Director positions, twelve school principals, and four candidates in other positions in public education.   Twenty-three candidates have earned doctorates. 
 
To see the full candidate pool report, please visit: https://www.khelewaconsulting.com/belvidere-candidate-pool-report
 
The Belvidere Board of Education will convene in executive session during its meeting on the evening of July 16 to examine each of the candidates' qualifications and to determine who will be selected for first-round interviews, using the insights gained from the online survey and the in-person school stakeholder input sessions that were conducted kain June.   Thank you to those who gave their time and offered their thoughts in the input sessions and surveys. 
 
Please continue to check this page for updates as the BBOE moves through the search process.  We appreciate your support during this crucial endeavor. 

 

 

June 11, 2025
 

The online Belvidere Superintendent Search input survey has closed, having garnered 108 participants.  Thanks to all who engaged in our in-person input sessions and completed the online survey.  All outcomes will be compiled into an internal document which will guide our consultant, Ms. Helewa, and the Belvidere Board of Education throughout the superintendent search.  The results will not be made public in order to preserve the integrity of the candidate interviewing process.  We appreciate your support! 

 

 

 

June 5, 2025

Here are the slides from last night's Family and Community Input Session.

May 28, 2025

Important News:  Mark Your Calendars!

The Belvidere Board of Education needs the perspectives of all of our stakeholders as we begin the search for our new Superintendent.   Our Search Consultant, Kathy Helewa, will be spending a day in our District on Wednesday, June 4 to listen to our stakeholders in a series of in-person input sessions.  Ms. Helewa will be meeting with students, teachers and staff, and administrators during daytime hours, and with our families and community members in the evening.  This session will not constitute an official meeting of the Belvidere Board of Education, and Board members will not be in attendance.

We urge our families and community members to meet Ms. Helewa in the  Belvidere High School Media Center, from 6:30pm-7:30pm on June 4  to share your thoughts and opinions.   Ms. Helewa will also describe and answer questions participants may have about the search process. 

For those unable to attend the session, an anonymous online input survey will be available in coming days for all of our school stakeholders.   We will publish a link to the survey later this month. 

Thank you for your support of the Belvidere BOE as the search for our next Superintendent begins!