ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Rock Island-Milan School District board has voted to hire an interim superintendent as the current one leaves in just a couple weeks.
Cal Lee will start May 22 and serve until June 30. He served previously as the Moline School District superintendent for 11 years.
The board voted to hire Lee at a May 16 special meeting, making the decision as current superintendent Reginald Lawrence is set to leave on June 3.
At the special meeting, News 8 asked board director Terell Williams for comment on Lawrence's departure, hiring Lee and the path going forward for the school district, but he declined to comment at that time.
Lee said the decisions surrounding Lawrence came before him and that he wanted to move forward.
He added that he wants the district to better connect with the community and be more transparent, using proven methods when he was a superintendent.
"Our administration... my central office administrators, they attended activities," Lee said. "They were expected to attend 4 to 5 activities a month and document them so people saw that we were more than a bunch of guys and gals collecting a paycheck."
When asked about the board's future plans for finding a new permanent superintendent, Lee said he didn't know what the current plans are, but that it's likely the district will need more interim superintendents until a permanent one can be hired.
He added that hiring process could take months or even a year.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel