The 26,000 students at Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Still Middle School, Scullen Middle School, and every District 204 elementary school will have a new superintendent when Dr. John Price officially starts Wednesday, July 1.
Price replaces Dr. Adrian Talley, who left to become superintendent of Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut. The transition happens as District 204 faces a projected $4.9 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year and the loss of more than $1 million in Title I federal funding, which triggered a net reduction of about 20 employees.
Price arrives with little fiscal runway. A budget presentation is planned for July, with a public hearing and board vote on adopting the 2026-27 budget in August. Special education transportation, out-of-district placements, and substitute teacher costs are among the expense drivers pushing spending above projections. A new teachers contract approved in May includes incentives to retain classroom teachers and reduce substitute expenses.
Price spent nine years leading North Chicago School District 187, where the graduation rate at North Chicago Community High School rose from 50% to 85.9%. During his tenure, the district secured a $40 million gift from AbbVie to build a new middle school and established the North Chicago Public Education Foundation, which has awarded more than 100 full-ride college scholarships since its inception.
Before North Chicago, Price served as a regional superintendent for Chicago Public Schools and as assistant superintendent in Evanston. His career began as a volunteer teacher at a Catholic elementary school on Chicago's Near West Side, where the school redirected his salary to fund tuition scholarships for students.
Board President Laurie Donahue said Price was selected through a competitive search that included interviews, focus groups, and community surveys. He holds a three-year contract, posted publicly at ipsd.org. The district has not detailed Price's specific priorities for District 204; a community survey at ipsd.org/surveys is gathering input from parents, staff, and students to help shape them.
New board member joins alongside Price
Andrew Bernard, 38, a Naperville resident from the Brookdale neighborhood, will be sworn in as a new District 204 board member at the Monday, July 13 meeting. The board approved his appointment at its June 9 meeting to fill the seat vacated by Justin Karubas, who resigned May 24 after more than a decade of service.
Bernard teaches business courses at St. Charles North High School and previously oversaw a $54 million budget as chief school business official for the A.E.R.O. Special Education Cooperative in Burbank.
"I have young kids coming into the school system. I'm personally invested," Bernard told the Beacon-News. His oldest child starts kindergarten in District 204 this fall. He intends to run for the seat when it goes up for election in April 2027.
The building-level impact of the 20-position reduction has not been disclosed by the district. Families seeking a school-by-school breakdown can submit a FOIA request through the district's portal at ipsd.org.
School Week Ahead
- Wednesday, July 1 — Dr. John Price officially begins as District 204 superintendent
- Monday, July 13 — District 204 Board of Education meeting; Andrew Bernard sworn in as new board member. Families can monitor board.ipsd.org/calendar for time and location.
- July (exact date TBD) — Budget presentation to the District 204 board. Check board.ipsd.org/calendar for the confirmed date.
- Superintendent Transition Surveys — Available at ipsd.org/surveys for parents, students, and staff to share priorities for Dr. Price's leadership
