The Peoria Unified School District's governing board has appointed a new interim superintendent. The decision drew criticism from the community amidst a teacher sex scandal — with two teachers in the district accused of sexual conduct with the same teenage boy — and other leadership changes.
Tahlya Visintainer will serve as interim superintendent effective May 26. The board had voted in April to start negotiations for Ryan LaDouceur to assume that role.
During a special board meeting Tuesday, Board President Jeff Tobey said that had changed.
“In my conversations with Dr. LaDouceur, he does not wish to be pulled into the politics of the situation and I want to honor that request,” Tobey said. “I’m not going to go into the details regarding my conversation with Dr. LaDouceur.”
That conflicts with a statement made by board member Heather Rooks, who was recently replaced as president. She said LaDouceur’s wife posted on social media that her husband had been pushed out of the role.
“There was a phone call made on a Sunday morning to push him out,” Rooks said. “They wanted to go in a different direction. Again, I had no idea that this was happening. Where is the transparency in this process?”
Several community members spoke during public comment, saying it was strange that the board had called a meeting to make this decision in the middle of a Tuesday, during a busy time, at the end of the school year.
Others, like Peoria resident Gabe Johns, were concerned about Visintainer’s lack of experience in the classroom.
“They’re replacing [LaDouceur] with an HR executive who joined PUSD less than a year ago,” Johns said. “I think it is weird that someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, especially in the school district, just got promoted that fast.”
Visintainer was approved by a 3-2 vote.
“I love this district, and I love the staff, and I love the students, and I want nothing more than to serve and do it the right way,” Visintainer said.
The district will continue searching for a permanent superintendent in the meantime.
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