Galesburg District 205 Superintendent John Asplund announced Monday night that the 2026-27 school year will be his last. Asplund made the announcement at the conclusion of the District 205 Board of Education meeting, reading a letter to the board after the personnel agenda was adopted.
In a letter submitted to the board, Asplund wrote that he is confident in the district’s future. “We have overcome many challenges and achieved many milestones in this time,” he wrote, “and I am confident that the next Superintendent can be very successful in his or her career here.”
Asplund has served as District 205 superintendent since 2017. When he retires at the end of the 2026-27 school year, he will have completed 10 years with the district — and 25 years as a superintendent overall.
Asplund’s retirement takes effect June 30, 2027.
“I did the math, and I looked at everything,” Asplund told WGIL ahead of the announcement. “Next year will be my 25th year being a superintendent. My wife has been a saint for all this time, and I’ve not devoted the time to my family that I otherwise could have. It’s just my time to exit this part of my career.”
Asplund said the board has known of his plans since late summer or early fall of 2025. He said he made a commitment to District 205 from the beginning to stay for the long haul — a promise he said was important to him to honor.
“One of the big things at that time was that the board was really adamant that this person was going to stay a while,” Asplund said. “I told that board specifically — put some verbiage in my contract that says if I leave before the first three years, I’ll pay for the search. Because I don’t plan to go anywhere.”
Asplund said he was hopeful from the start that he could fulfill a 10-year commitment, acknowledging that nothing is guaranteed.
“I hope I can make it through the next year, healthy and able to fulfill my duties,” he said. “It’s gratifying that I was able to fulfill the promise I made to those seven board members back in 2017.”
Before coming to Galesburg, Asplund served as superintendent at Farmington for six years. He began his superintendency career in 2002 at Villa Grove, followed by stints at Reed-Custer school district near Joliet and Lake Bluff Elementary School District north of Chicago. He and his wife, who is from Knoxville, returned to the area when the Galesburg position opened.
Board response
District 205 Board of Education President Courtney Rodriguez addressed the announcement at the conclusion of the meeting, telling those in attendance the board is already moving forward on the transition.
“We are already in the transition of what our next steps are going to be,” Rodriguez said. “We will do our due diligence. We look forward to hearing from you guys.”
Rodriguez noted the retirement announcement was not a surprise to the board. “Just so everyone knows, we are aware,” she said.
Asplund said District 205 will post the superintendent search timeline and job posting on a dedicated section of the district website. A community survey will also be made available, with both the survey and results posted publicly to provide transparency throughout the process.
Board approvals Monday night
In addition to Asplund’s retirement announcement, the board approved three significant agenda items Monday night.
The board approved a $276,474 contract with Nevco Sports for new video boards and scoreboards at Van Dyke Field and John Thiel Gym, set for installation over the summer. Installation cost would be around $70,000. Full details and renderings here.
The board also approved elementary boundary changes affecting 43 students, moving children in the Home Boulevard area from Steele Elementary to Silas Willard, and nine students near St. Patrick’s Church from Silas Willard to King Elementary. Both changes take effect next fall.
Additionally, the board approved a 25-minute later start time for Lombard Middle School, moving the bell from 7:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. beginning with the 2026-27 school year. Full details here.
Tune in Tuesday
Superintendent Asplund joined Galesburg’s Morning News live in studio Tuesday, March 10, during the 8-9 a.m. interview hour on WGIL 93.7 FM and 1400 AM.
