The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 chose experience in hiring its next superintendent.Â
The school board voted 5-0, with two members absent, to hire Terri Bresnahan, the current superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 59, as its next superintendent Tuesday evening. Bresnahan has worked as a superintendent for 11 years.
The school board chose Bresnahan over the other finalist, Angela Dolezal, who was a popular principal at Longfellow School in Oak Park for 13 years before becoming the Director of Teaching and Learning at Riverside Elementary School District 96 in 2019.
Bresnahan will begin work in District 97 on July 1. She received a four-year contract and will earn $270,000 annually.
“I’m eager and ready,” Bresnahan told the school board after they voted to hire her.
At the meeting, she praised the board for the process it used to hire her, which featured a virtual town hall with her and Dolezal where the board’s search consultant asked them identical questions.
“I am so thrilled,” Bresnahan said. “I want to thank this board and the community for the very transparent and rigorous process. It was really refreshing as a candidate to be a part of that, and it makes me feel even more confident coming into this.”
The board voted to hire Bresnahan after 13 people made public comments asking the school district to take more steps to protect students from a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The impassioned public comments made an impression on Bresnahan.
“It is a big part of what drew me here to Oak Park 97. To see the true value of diversity, equity and inclusion in action and to have a committed community that’s here and to have a board that’s truly listening, it makes me even more excited and passionate about joining this team,” she said.
Rachel Jobski, the director of communications and community relations for District 59, said in a written statement that Bresnahan’s former workplace has been “incredibly grateful for her dedication and contributions, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact she will make in District 97.”
After the meeting, some school board members said they were most impressed by Bresnahan’s experience, enthusiasm and passion for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“[Bresnahan is] consistently enthusiastic about working on equity issues,” said school board member Becky Perez, a former District 97 school psychologist who now works at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
“[She is] strong on our shared values, very committed to equity, ensuring that every child succeeds, and [she has] experience with other districts including making progress with that,” said school board member Gavin Kearney.
Kearney said he thought Bresnahan’s experience as a superintendent will be a big benefit to the district.
District 97 has interim co-superintendents this year after former superintendent Ushma Shah abruptly resigned in August the week before the new school year began for reasons that have never been fully explained. Shah, who had never been a superintendent until she was hired at District 97 in 2022, stayed in her role for a little more than three years.
“Dr. Shah didn’t stay as long as we hoped,” Kearney said.
Board Vice President Jung Kim, who presided over the meeting in the absence of President Cheree Moore, said that Bresnahan was a hard worker.
“I’m very excited to have her,” she said before the vote.
The announcement of the hiring on the district’s website quoted Moore as saying the board was committed to hiring a leader who shared the district’s values.
“Our community asked for a leader who listens, builds trust and keeps students at the center of every decision,” Moore said in the statement. “Dr. Bresnahan brings deep experience leading diverse school communities with integrity and care, along with a long-standing commitment to equity and student success. The board is confident she is the right person to lead District 97 forward.”
Bresnahan is in her fifth year as superintendent in District 59, which serves southern Arlington Heights, Elk Grove and portions of Mount Prospect, Des Plaines and unincorporated Cook County. District 59 is a somewhat larger district than District 97, with 11 elementary schools and three middle schools. Before taking over in District 59, Bresnahan served as the superintendent for Berkeley District 87 for six years.
Before that role, Bresnahan worked as District 87’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for seven years. She also worked for as the director of technology for two different school districts, first for five years at Addison School District 4 and then for four years at Niles District 64. She also worked in technology positions for Avoca School District 37 and River Trails District 26.
Bresnahan, who received her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Illinois in 1996, began her career as middle school and elementary school teacher in San Bernardino, California.
Bresnahan earned her doctorate in education from National Louis University in 2012 and also earned a master’s degree in education from Azusa Pacific University. She lives in Elmhurst.
