Lincoln Elementary Principal Amber Samuels will not be returning to her leadership position at the Evanston school for the 2026-27 school year, according to an announcement from Evanston-Skokie District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner.
Samuels, who has held the position since July 2024, will continue to serve out her role until the end of the school year in June, but will not be returning thereafter.
“We understand that leadership changes can be challenging for a school community and want to acknowledge the impact that this news may have on students, staff and families,” Turner wrote to Lincoln Elementary parents on April 7.
“Our goal is to ensure continuity and a smooth transition for the Lincoln school community,” she said.
Samuels did not return an immediate Pioneer Press request for comment regarding her departure, nor did the district confirm the cause of it.
District 65 spokesperson Hannah Dillow confirmed in an email that Samuels took a leave of absence beginning Feb. 18, but that the district was “not at liberty to share specifics regarding her leave.”
Dillow said that Assistant Principal Alexis Whaley served as the primary point of contact during Samuels’ absence and a retired administrator was assigned to Lincoln Elementary to provide further support.
Samuels returned to her position as principal on March 16, Dillow confirmed.
In another recent development at Lincoln Elementary, a District 65 paraprofessional employee was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after she threw an empty juice box at an 8-year-old child in the classroom, according to Cook County Circuit Court records.
Turner said in her April 7 message to Lincoln Elementary families that the district will be beginning its search for a new principal immediately to support a “timely and thorough process,” with the position posted to the district’s job board no later than the end of the week.
“After several rounds of interviews, I will present the recommended candidate to the Board of Education,” Turner said. “We intend to name a new leader before the end of the school year,” which will allow the district’s team a “chance to fully prepare for the upcoming school year.”
Prior to her position at Lincoln Elementary, Samuels served as principal of Gray Middle School in Tacoma, Washington, and as a middle school science, language arts and social studies teacher, and later assistant principal, in Chicago Public Schools for 18 years.
According to previous reports from a Seattle-based news outlet, several teachers at Gray Middle School held a “no confidence vote” in their administrators during Samuels’ tenure as principal, listing Samuels as being responsible for “student achievement, improvement of instruction and program delivery.”
“There have not been professional development opportunities this year,” the reported statement from teachers said.
District 65 did not respond to an immediate request for comment regarding Samuels’ prior no confidence vote from Gray Middle School staff.