Superintendent Search

The Board of Education is pleased to partner with Hazard, Young, and Attea (HYA), a national consulting firm, in the search for the next superintendent for the Sun Prairie Area School District. The board plans to select the next superintendent by April 30, 2026.

This search starts with posting for the position and planning sessions with HYA. In the coming days and weeks, the group will work to connect with stakeholders and gather information from the community on what Sun Prairie is looking for in our next superintendent.

Please return to this page often for updates, information, and progress in the search for our next superintendent.

Board selects next superintendent

The Board of Education voted unanimously to move forward with contract negotiations with Dr. Antoine Reed to serve as the Sun Prairie Area School District’s next superintendent.

The School Board interviewed three finalists on Tuesday, April 14 and then deliberated for approximately an hour before deciding to convene again on Thursday, April 16. The School Board’s decision also initiates a final thorough background check, after which a final vote will be held to officially confirm the hire.

Reed earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from DePaul University. He also completed graduate studies at the Relay Graduate School of Education. Dr. Reed holds a Master of Science in Social Science from Chicago State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Missouri State University.

He has more than 20 years in public education. He currently serves as Chief of Culture and Student Engagement for Rockford Public Schools. Dr. Reed’s experience also includes serving as Chief of Schools/High School Principal for Milwaukee College Prep, and a principal in South Bend and Chicago. His earlier roles include assistant principalships and instructional leadership positions.

Reed replaces Dr. Brad Saron, who has served as the SPASD superintendent for nearly 11 years. Before that, he was the Chippewa Falls district administrator for two years and the Cashton district administrator for six years before that. Saron will return to Chippewa Falls starting in July 2026.

Finalists named

The Sun Prairie Area School District School Board has selected three finalists in its search for the next Superintendent: Dr. Jeff Fleig, Michael Harris, and Dr. Antoine Reed. Redacted resumes for each finalist are included:

• Dr. Jeff Fleig resume
• Michael Harris resume
• Dr. Antoine Reed resume

As part of the final interview with the School Board, each finalist submitted a 100-day plan.

• Dr. Jeff Fleig 100-Day Plan
• Michael Harris 100-Day Plan
• Dr. Antoine Reed 100-Day Plan

As part of the selection process, the three finalists will spend a day in the district on Monday, April 13. The day will include a tour of the schools and time to meet with staff and students. Parents, families, and community members will also have an opportunity to meet the candidates in a public session that evening. 

All interested families, parents, and community members are invited to participate in the session, which will take place from 6:30 to 8:40 p.m. in the Central Heights Middle School Auditorium. Each of the finalists will introduce themselves and take questions during their individual 40-minute session.

All Sun Prairie staff, students and community members will have the opportunity to share their feedback with the Board throughout the day using an online form, accessible via a provided link and QR code. The Board values and appreciates everyone’s input as it informs this important decision.

Final interviews with each candidate will be conducted by the Board on Tuesday, April 14. The interviews are open to the public and will also take place at the Central Heights Middle School Auditorium. The interviews also will be streamed live by the City of Sun Prairie’s KSUN station. 

"The School Board has worked diligently to get to this point,'' president Diana McFarland said. "We wanted to hear from our community and were so pleased that nearly 1,300 individuals completed an online survey and 130 people attended focus groups to tell us what we should look for in our next superintendent.

"We reviewed 25 applicants, and this week interviewed eight first-round candidates. We have thoroughly vetted these three candidates and are excited to share them with you. Our goal is to find the right person to lead our great District forward.

"We hope staff, students, parents, and other residents will meet the finalists on April 13 and let us know what they think. We also hope those who can attend the interviews with the finalists on April 14 do so. We want to hear from you and your voice matters.''

The School Board will hold deliberations in closed session after the interviews, with the final decision taking place no later than Thursday, April 16.

Day in the District: April 13

The superintendent finalists will spend Monday, April 13 in the District touring schools and meeting with staff, students, District families and community members. This will be your opportunity to meet the finalists, learn more about each of them, ask questions, and offer feedback. Please review the schedule below to find out which session you should attend. HYA, the firm helping SPASD with the search, requests that if you plan to attend that you stay for the entire time.

Morning tour of the District (9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.)
Finalist No. 1: Will spend 45 minutes each at three schools -- Prairie View, Sun Prairie West, and Meadow View
Finalist No. 2: Will spend 45 minutes each at three schools -- Westside, Central Heights, and Sun Prairie West
Finalist No. 3: Will spend 45 minutes each at three schools -- Sun Prairie East, Patrick Marsh and Eastside.

Afternoon sessions at Sun Prairie West
Finalist No. 1: Will spend 45 minutes each meeting with high school students, principals, and other District administrators
Finalist No. 2: Will spend 45 minutes each meeting with principals, other District administrators, and high school students.
Finalist No. 3: Will spend 45 minutes each meeting with other District administrators, high school students, and principals

Late afternoon sessions at Sun Prairie West
All three finalists will meet individually with all school employees in separate sessions running from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Evening sessions at Central Heights (parents-community members sessions will take place in the Auditorium). Begins at 6:30 and ends at approximately 8:40 p.m.
Finalist No. 1: Will spend 40 minutes each meeting with parents-community members, outgoing Superintendent Brad Saron, and SPEA leadership
Finalist No. 2: Will spend 40 minutes each meeting with SPEA leadership, parents-community members, and outgoing Superintendent Brad Saron
Finalist No. 3: Will spend 40 minutes meeting with outgoing Superintendent Brad Saron, SPEA leadership, and parents-community members

Finalist Interviews: April 14

The superintendent finalists will spend the morning of Tuesday, April 14 learning more about our District. They will have 15 minutes each with the Business-Education Partnership group. They will then spent approximately 90 minutes taking a driving tour of SPASD and learning where each of our 15 school buildings are located. Finally, they will meet the the Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce staff and receive information about our community.

The School Board will have 50 minutes to interview each finalist, starting at 6 p.m. The interviews will take place at the Central Heights Middle School Auditorium. The public is welcome to attend, although questions will only be offered by School Board members. If you can't make it, the interviews will be streamed live on the KSUN website.

Check out the Day in the District schedule for April 13-14.

Engagement Results

HYA senior associate Pat Neudecker presented the results from the 60-plus focus groups and the online survey at the Board of Education regular meeting on Monday, March 9. Neudecker, who facilitated more than half of the focus groups held in the District, reviewed some of the key findings and noted that the themes shared by staff, high school students, District families, and other members of the community were similar. 

You can view the entire the 61-page HYA Superintendent Leadership Profile Report here. The HYA Superintendent Leadership Profile Report presentation that Neudecker gave on March 9 can also be viewed here.