It has been a long time coming, but the new superintendent for Pana Community Unit School District 8 officially started work Monday. Jason Bauer was hired early in the superintendent search process, and he has been getting acclimated to the district since the beginning of 2017.

Bauer says the time between his hiring and Monday gave him many opportunities to build his understanding for the district.

Bauer says he’s paying attention to what is happening in Springfield for what will happen with Pana’s budget. He also is planning on sitting down with his team to come up with a strategic plan for how to improve the district.

Bauer comes to the district from Donovan Community Unit School District 3, where he was a Junior / Senior High Principal and Co-Superintendent.