As the academic school year is set to kick off, Terri Bresnahan was already sitting through meetings last Tuesday afternoon preparing to welcome students back on their first day.
Making sure teachers and their charges have resources and materials ready, summer projects are complete and that buildings are clean and ready are some of the tasks she has to handle before students start their first day of school on Aug. 26.
Bresnahan officially started her 31st year in public education last month as the new superintendent at Oak Park Elementary School District 97, which includes eight elementary schools as well as Brooks Middle School and Julian Middle School.
Her four-year contract was approved in February and went into effect July 1 and she comes to the district with prior experience in the superintendent role.
Bresnahan spent 11 years working as a superintendent in two different school districts and said she’s focused on pursuing equity in a village she feels is known for “championing” it.
“Being in a community like Oak Park where they have community resources, but are very committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve and have access to those resources, I think it’s really important,” Bresnahan said.
School Board President Cheree Moore issued a statement speaking highly of Bresnahan as she steps into the new position.
“Dr. Bresnahan brings deep experience leading diverse school communities with integrity and care, along with a long-standing commitment to equity and student success,” Moore said. “The board is confident she is the right person to lead District 97 forward.”
Bresnahan said Oak Park is “also a community that really values its schools, ensuring that everyone has access, and works together as a community for its own.”
“I think that’s something that really drew me here where I could pursue my work as a leader,” she said.
With the role of public education under increased political scrutiny at the national level, finding a community and an organization at the local level that aligned with her values and work she wanted to pursue led her to Oak Park.
“Because the profile was shaped by our community, it gave the board a clear framework for evaluating candidates,” Moore said. “Dr. Bresnahan consistently demonstrated the experience, judgment and student-centered leadership our stakeholders told us they were seeking.”
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Bresnahan’s passion for education stems back to her childhood. Her single mother worked multiple jobs to raise Bresnahan and her siblings and made sure they had access to their necessities.
Some of those necessities came from her school system growing up, where she took advantage of a free lunch program.
“Having that experience helped me choose a career where I could pay that back to other generations and open doors for other kids,” Bresnahan said.
Bresnahan also looks to strengthen school culture, something that she’s already preparing. One element of that is a “responsive classrooms” initiative planned to hone positive classroom management that reinforces positive behaviors, she said.
But as she gets settled in, she mainly wants to get a feel for the district and understand what there is to be improved upon.
“It’s really an honor and a privilege to serve in this district, and my hope is that people get connected with me so they can feel like they know me, not just as a superintendent, but as a person that’s really here and is committed to serving all students in this community,” Bresnahan said.
Though she’s new to the district, she’s ready to make an impact on the community and with every student that crosses the eighth grade graduation stage.
“We heard clearly that our community wants a leader who will be present, invested and committed to Oak Park,” Moore said. “Dr. Bresnahan brings the experience to step into this role ready to listen, build relationships and build on the strong work already underway across District 97.”