Palos District 118 Chooses New Superintendent

Palos District 118 has a new leader. 

Following an extensive executive search, the Palos 118 Board of Education appointed Anthony Scarsella Superintendent of Schools for Palos Community Consolidated School District 118 at a special board meeting March 13. Scarsella, who is currently the assistant superintendent for business services, was the school board’s first choice because of his proven leadership and management skills throughout his seven years serving at Palos 118.

Scarsella has been with District 118 in an administrative capacity for seven years; the past five as assistant superintendent of business services. He will succeed retiring Superintendent Dr. Joseph Dubec on July 1, 2014. Scarsella holds master’s degrees in school business management from Northern Illinois University, and public policy and finance from American University in Washington D.C. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both education and history from the University of Cincinnati. Currently, he is completing his doctorate in education administration at Northern Illinois University. Scarsella began his career as a classroom teacher at the middle and high school levels.

“I am looking forward to working with the board of education, parents, community, and staff to ensure all of our students are successful,” said Scarsella.

As assistant superintendent, Scarsella was heavily involved in all district operations including technology, curriculum, personnel and finance. His leadership on the Palos 118 administrative team has led to expansion of instructional technology, improvements in school security and safety and high student performance. He oversaw balanced budgets for each year of his tenure and received the Association of School Business Officials International prestigious Meritorious Budget Award for the past three years.

The hiring of Scarsella follows an extensive search conducted by the educational executive search firm HYA. Over 30 applicants applied for the position. The process included a community/staff survey, focus groups, extensive board of education interviews, and input from a community, parent, teacher, administrative, interview team.

“Anthony Scarsella is a strong match with what the faculty, staff, and community identified in their recent survey and focus groups,” said School Board President Sheila Pacholski. “He has proven his dedication to the Palos 118 community. I am extremely pleased on behalf of the board of education to welcome Mr. Scarsella to his new role as superintendent. We wish to thank the members of the community and staff for their valuable input. Much insight was gathered from the surveys and focus groups. Hiring a superintendent is one of the most important jobs placed upon the board of education. Partnering with the community and staff was vital to the process for selecting our next superintendent.”

Palos 118 educates over 1,900 students from the village of Palos Park, the western half of the city of Palos Heights, the northern portion of the city of Palos Hills, and adjacent unincorporated areas.