West county school district hires new superintendent

The West Sonoma County Union High School District has hired a new superintendent to replace the current chief, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Steven Kellner will replace Keller McDonald, who has been with the district for 10 years and is retiring June 30. The district includes El Molino, Analy and Laguna high schools.

The school board approved Kellner’s hire last week.

Kellner, a 21-year veteran of public education, moves from a career in Illinois ?public education. He taught social studies and English for 12 years at Community High School in West Chicago and in 2006 was selected as the division head for social science, foreign language and English language learning at Wheeling High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., supervising about 40 staff members.

He served as associate principal at the same school from 2007 to 2001, when he was promoted to the district office as the director of professional learning and instructional technology with Township High School District 214.

In that role, Kellner implemented a school-wide interdisciplinary “STEM for all” initiative to promote science, technology, engineering and math curriculum. He also implemented an iPad program for 12,500 students, 900 teachers and 100 administrators.

As an adjunct faculty member at the graduate school of education at Northeastern Illinois University, he helped create and taught educational leadership and organizational analysis to aspiring principals.

Kellner received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in history and speech communication, ?a teaching credential from Indiana University, a ?master’s in educational leadership from Aurora University and a doctorate in administration and supervision from Loyola University of Chicago.

He starts July 1.

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.