Northbrook’s Greenbriar School got a new principal Friday, eight days after the former one resigned, and 18 days before the first day of school.
Jennifer Able, the principal of the District 28 grade school the last six years, resigned July 28, because “she decided to spend more time with her family,” Superintendent Larry Hewitt said.
The new principal, Ginny Hiltz, a Northbrook resident who has worked the last five years at Arlington Heights District 25 as a student services director, was hired at a special school board meeting Friday.
Hiltz previously served two years at the Galapagos Charter School, a K-8 school in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, she said. She started as an assistant director of the school, and ended as director of the middle school portion.
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She said she’s working on her doctorate in educational philosophy/educational technology in a hybrid on line/traditional program at Michigan State University.
Hewitt said there were a lot of qualified candidates from which to chose.
“We had just completed a principal search for Westmoor in the spring, so we had an excellent number of candidates,” Hewitt said. “I think we had 97 applicants, so I had a rich data base of applicants to look through.”
Westmoor School’s Chris Finch was replaced as principal by Mary Sturgill, who had served as a principal at two different schools over the previous five years.
Hewitt said it won’t be hard for Hiltz to hit the ground running.
“We have a terrific staff already in place. Our teachers are already there, instructional aides. The schedule is all done,” he said. “The getting to know you phase is important, bit it will happen naturally.”
Hiltz said she was still under contract with District 25 when the offer came, and was able to hammer out an agreement with her former employer to move on to District 28. She’ll start at $115,000 a year on a new three year-contract, with 2.7 percent raises each year, she said.
Hewitt said Able had helped implement the districtwide first through fifth grade Spanish program in her school, and new curriculum in other areas.
“Being a principal, I think, is very time consuming, very involved,” Hewitt said. “People, for different reasons, evaluate where they are in life. I support anyone’s decision to spend more time with family.”
Hiltz said she has lived about a mile from Greenbrier for about two years, and lived in Glenview for three years before that.
She said Friday that she felt part of the District 28 community already, but she would “listen and learn, to get a sense of what the community needs.
“I couldn’t ask for a more fantastic school.”
She has an extra stake in its success, with a son, Christopher, now 31/2, in the Greenbrier attendance area.
“As soon as he’s of age, he’ll be going to District 28,” Hiltz’ husband, Eric Hackl, said.
Parents and students can meet the new principal from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10 and 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the school, 1225 Greenbriar Lane.
Twitter: @IrvLeavitt