Except in districts in which there is only one school with fewer than 4 teachers, to employ a superintendent, who shall have charge of the administration of the schools under the direction of the board of education. However, in any school district that has boundaries that lie in 3 counties, one county of which has a population exceeding 1,000,000 inhabitants, that has an enrollment of more than 35,000 students, and that has on staff properly licensed assistant superintendents or directors in the areas of instruction, finance, special education, assessments, and career and technology education, the school board may instead, by a vote of a majority of its full membership, appoint a chief executive officer to serve as its superintendent, who shall be a person of recognized administrative ability and management experience, hold a master’s degree, have been employed with the school district for a minimum of 5 years in an administrative capacity, be responsible for the management of the district, and have all other powers and duties of a superintendent as set forth in this Code, but who shall be exempt from the provisions and requirements of Section 21B-15 of this Code for a period of 5 years.
     In addition to the administrative duties, the superintendent shall make recommendations to the board concerning the budget, building plans, the locations of sites, the selection, retention and dismissal of teachers and all other employees, the selection of textbooks, instructional material and courses of study. However, in districts under a Financial Oversight Panel pursuant to Section 1A-8 for violating a financial plan, the duties and responsibilities of the superintendent in relation to the financial and business operations of the district shall be approved by the Panel. In the event the Board refuses or fails to follow a directive or comply with an information request of the Panel, the performance of those duties shall be subject to the direction of the Panel. The superintendent shall also notify the State Board of Education, the board and the chief administrative official, other than the alleged perpetrator himself, in the school where the alleged perpetrator serves, that any person who is employed in a school or otherwise comes into frequent contact with children in the school has been named as a perpetrator in an indicated report filed pursuant to the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, approved June 26, 1975, as amended. The superintendent shall keep or cause to be kept the records and accounts as directed and required by the board, aid in making reports required by the board, and perform such other duties as the board may delegate to him.
     In addition, each year at a time designated by the State Superintendent of Education, each superintendent shall report to the State Board of Education the number of high school students in the district who are enrolled in accredited courses (for which high school credit will be awarded upon successful completion of the courses) at any community college, together with the name and number of the course or courses which each such student is taking.
     The provisions of this Section shall also apply to board of director districts.
     Notice of intent not to renew a contract must be given in writing stating the specific reason therefor by April 1 of the contract year unless the contract specifically provides otherwise. Failure to do so will automatically extend the contract for an additional year. Within 10 days after receipt of notice of intent not to renew a contract, the superintendent may request a closed session hearing on the dismissal. At the hearing the superintendent has the privilege of presenting evidence, witnesses and defenses on the grounds for dismissal. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to a district under a Financial Oversight Panel pursuant to Section 1A-8 for violating a financial plan.