During its meeting on Tuesday, May 14, the District 97 Board of Education approved the appointment of Amy Jefferson as the principal for Longfellow Elementary School. Jefferson will be replacing Angela Dolezal, who announced in March that she was resigning to accept the position of director of teaching and learning for Riverside School District 96. Her tenure at Longfellow will begin on July 1, 2019.
“I want to thank Angela once again for her tremendous leadership and dedicated service during the past 15 years, and wish her all the best in District 96,” said Superintendent Carol Kelley. “I also want to congratulate Amy on her appointment to the principal position at Longfellow. She has a strong and diverse background in education, as well as a proven track record for fostering the growth of all students. I believe those tremendous qualities, coupled with her knowledge, skills and passion for learning, will help advance our vision and aid our efforts to promote greater equity and inclusion across our district.”
Kelley also thanked the parents/guardians and staff members who were involved in the efforts to find the new principal for Longfellow. Both groups provided the district with feedback about the qualities and characteristics they felt applicants should possess, and had representatives who served on the school’s site team. This team interviewed a pool of candidates for the position and played a pivotal role in the selection of Jefferson, who received a one-year contract with a base salary of $117,490.
Prior to joining District 97, Jefferson was the assistant principal at Carman-Buckner Elementary School in Waukegan for two years. She was also a middle school team lead and ELA instructional leader at the AUSL Carter School for Excellence in Chicago for four years, and a teacher (third/fourth grade, sixth grade and high school) for six years. Jefferson was recently invited to participate in the National Institute of Urban School Leaders, which is a program offered by Harvard University that examines best practices and research-based techniques in urban schools..
Jefferson has a bachelor’s degree in English education from Rust College and a master’s degree in educational leadership/administration from National Louis University. She currently lives in Chicago and says she is eager to begin working with the entire Longfellow community to foster and support the school’s continued success.
“I consider it an honor and privilege to be the new principal for Longfellow Elementary School,” said Jefferson. “The staff members and families in this community truly value the importance of education, and are fully committed to meeting the needs of all students. I am incredibly excited to join this exceptional team of remarkable individuals, and look forward to working with them to help every child at Longfellow realize their full potential.”