Dan Phelps named new superintendent of Rockton School District

Dan Phelps will become the new school superintendent of Rockton School District 140, which includes Stephen Mack Middle School, Rockton Grade School, and Whitman Post Elementary School.

Outgoing Superintendent Glenn Terry was planning to pass the torch to Assistant Superintendent Kevin Finnegan, who was previously principal of Prairie Hill Elementary. But Finnegan announced on April 9, 2025 that he is resigning effective June 30, 2025, saying "He misses the daily interactions with students and teachers and wishes to return to a building-level position." At the time, the school board said they might hire an interim superintendent in the short term, but instead hired Mr. Phelps on a permanent basis less than a month later.

The district says, "We recognize that this decision came swiftly, and we deeply regret that the accelerated timeline did not allow for broader stakeholder input. While circumstances required urgent action, please know that every decision was made with the best interest of our students, staff, and families at heart."

Mr. Phelps has worked in public education for 19 years as a teacher, coach, grant coordinator, assistant principal, and principal. He has been principal of Winnebago Middle School. Before that, he was assistant principal at Hononegah Community High School and in the Rockford School District. He previously taught physical education, personal training, and strength & conditioning at Hononegah, Normal West High School, and Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook, IL. He sees health and wellness as a key for success in school.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education teacher education, a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Illinois State University, and a master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University, where he is currently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies. Mr. Phelps and his wife live in Rockton with their two elementary-aged sons.