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Warrensburg-Latham Superintendent Picked To Lead Unit 5

Kristen Weikle
Unit 5
Kristen Weikle

A former special education teacher who has spent the past nine years leading a small school district near Decatur is set to become Unit 5's next superintendent.

The Unit 5 school board will vote to hire Kristen Kendrick-Weikle at its Jan. 13 meeting. She would start July 1, succeeding Mark Daniel.

“Dr. Kendrick-Weikle will be an excellent addition to the Unit 5 family,” Board President Barry Hitchins said in a statement. “She brings vision, passion and experience to our district that will serve our staff, students and community as we continue to educate each student to achieve personal excellence.”

Kendrick-Weikle has served as superintendent at the Warrensburg-Latham CUSD #11 district since the 2011-12 school year. Warrensburg-Latham has three schools and around 996 students, with about 39% coming from low-income families. Unit 5 has 25 schools, around 13,135 students, including 33% from low-income families.

Kendrick-Weikle previously served as the director of special education for the Special Education Association of Adams County, in addition to serving as a principal in Quincy Public Schools. She also was an adjunct professor at John Wood Community College in Quincy.

Kendrick-Weikle said she was "excited and honored" to be chosen for the Unit 5 job.

“Unit 5 is an outstanding district and I am confident that we can build upon the incredible work already in place," she said in a statement. "I value clear, honest and ongoing communication and believe this is essential to moving the district forward to truly have all students achieve their personal excellence.

"I look forward to meeting and building relationships with Unit 5 students, staff, and community members."

A meet-and-greet reception is planned for Jan. 13 following the 7 p.m. special meeting.

Daniel, the current Unit 5 superintendent, announced in September he planned to leave following the 2019-20 school year, when his contract was up. Daniel was hired in 2014.

Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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