After deciding he was no longer needed Griff Powell has resigned his $1,500 a day position as co-interim superintendent at Oak Park’s District 97 elementary schools. Powell had been working only one day a week since January after former co-interim superintendent Patricia Wernet resigned because of health reasons and Patrick Robinson, the district’s assistant superintendent of elementary schools, was appointed co-interim superintendent.
Now that District 97 has hired its new permanent superintendent, Terri Bresnahan, who will officially begin work in the district on July 1, Powell, 79, decided his role was no longer necessary.
“Once I met with her and did some transition I thought it was time to leave. They don’t need three superintendents,” Powell told Wednesday Journal in a telephone interview. “She’s going to be spending time in the district. I don’t believe in taking money from a district unless they really need me. I also feel very comfortable with Patrick Robinson being there every day doing what he’s doing so to me it felt like the right time to go. . .. I was not needed anymore; it was just that simple.”
Robinson will serve as the sole interim superintendent until Bresnahan takes over on July 1.
Robinson said Powell served as a mentor to him. “It was definitely a pleasure and an honor to have Griff by my side as a co-interim and just to be able to kind of just learn from him in different situations,” Robinson said.
Amanda Siegfried, the district’s communication person, said of Powell, “I think for me Griff was just very steady and that, I think, came from more than 50 years of experience. He made things easier to navigate.”
Powell’s resignation appears to mark the end of a 58-year career in education which began when he was hired to be a math teacher and wrestling coach at Lake Zurich High School in January 1968. He went on to teach math at North Niles High School before becoming a dean at Niles West High School and then a principal at Stevenson High School. Powell later served as a superintendent in five school districts, four in the Chicago suburbs and one in New York, before retiring as the superintendent of Niles Township Community High School District 219 in 2002.
Since retiring in 2002 Powell has served as an interim superintendent 14 times including a previous gig at District 97 with Wernet during the 2021-2022 school year.
But Powell said that this is it for him.
“I don’t think there is anybody in their 80’s doing what I’m doing,” Powell said. “To me I have to give 100% at all times and I’m worn out after a long day in the district. To me it feels like the right time to say goodbye to an enjoyable career.”
Powell said he waited to leave until he completed evaluations all of District 97’s central office staff. He said he believed he and Wernet brought some stability to the district after former superintendent Ushma Shah abruptly and unexpectedly resigned in August just one week before the start of the new school year.
“When a superintendent walks out like the prior superintendent did, sort of at the 11th hour, it creates a lot of instability and because we were already known by the leadership team, by the union, by some of the community members, people felt comfortable,” Powell said. “We provided some stability during the transition.”
In a statement sent to parents the District 97 school board thanked Powell for his service.
“The board is deeply grateful that he chose to serve District 97 not once, but twice, during pivotal moments for our schools and community,” the statement said. “We are equally grateful to Dr. Patricia Wernet, who worked with Dr. Powell to support the district during important periods of transition. Their steady leadership, experience, and care helped guide our work and support continued progress across the district.”