The Board of Education has approved the appointment of Ronald DeGeorge effective August 25 as the new Director of Facility Management. DeGeorge will direct District 64’s operations, maintenance and custodial services for all buildings and grounds.
“Mr. DeGeorge is entering District 64 at a crucial time,” according to Superintendent Laurie Heinz. “Although we completed several large projects at our schools in the last five years, District 64 is poised to enter an even more challenging phase over the next five,” she noted.
“Mr. DeGeorge’s outstanding work ethic, demonstrated leadership and deep experience will be crucial in helping to guide the District’s efforts to secure our facilities and ensure that our school environments meet our expectations for 21st century learning,” Dr. Heinz added.
Dr. Heinz noted that Mr. DeGeorge would be charged with implementing required work identified in a new 10-year Health Life Safety Survey as well as projects coming forward through a comprehensive Master Facilities Plan just presented to the Board.
Further, Dr. Heinz pointed out that “one of the six strategic objectives in the District’s new 2020 Vision Strategic Plan focuses on facilities and is one of the two ‘foundational’ objectives of the entire plan, so we anticipate Mr. DeGeorge will also be deeply engaged in this effort moving forward, too,” Dr. Heinz noted.
DeGeorge comes to District 64 with almost two decades of experience directing school district buildings and grounds operations at both the elementary and high school levels. Most recently, he served for 16 years as the supervisor in elementary Prospect Heights School District 23, where he was involved in an “exemplary geothermal project and greatly improved the condition of all the facilities under his care,” according to Dr. Heinz. His two years as a maintenance foreman in Township High School District 211 in Palatine also broadened the range of his school experience.
In addition, DeGeorge has a significant background in the trades, with more than a decade of experience in HVAC/electrical contracting work, during eight of which he managed his own company and work force. He has been a licensed electrician for 27 years.
DeGeorge was identified from an initial pool of 16 candidates. A team of District 64 administrators, custodial and maintenance representatives, and Board member Bob Johnson interviewed three finalists before Dr. Heinz made the final selection.