The staffing structure at the two Lake Forest public school districts is set for some changes in the 2024-25 school year, with two current administrators taking on new roles.
District 67/115 Superintendent Matthew Montgomery has announced the promotions of Everett Elementary School Principal Renee Fitzsimmons and Human Resources Director Phil Georgia.
Fitzsimmons has been tabbed for the newly created position of assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and accountability, where she will preside over the curriculum, teaching and assessment at both District 67 and 115.
Fitzsimmons has worked at District 67 since 2015 and has been the principal at Everett, one of the city’s three public elementary schools, since 2021.
Georgia, who has worked at District 67/115 for nearly two years, is currently the human resources director. He will now be the assistant superintendent of human resources set to lead the implementation and monitoring of human resources elements of the school district’s strategic plans.
By establishing the positions, Montgomery will not be directly replacing Deputy Superintendent Jeff McHugh, who has been hired as the superintendent at Glen Ellyn District 41 starting on July 1. Instead, McHugh’s responsibilities will be divided among existing personnel.
“The reason we are doing that is to increase operational efficiencies while providing growth in leadership opportunities for our administrators,” Montgomery said at a Feb. 6 District 115 school board meeting. “It is a testament to both boards and administrations to look for ways to which we can give experiences to our staff that helps them in their individualized educational journey.
“If they have aspirations to grow, we want to make sure we provide those opportunities whenever possible,” he said.
The personnel actions are pending respective school board approval, spokeswoman Melissa Oakley said.
With the Fitzsimmons promotion, the administration is expected to name a new Everett principal sometime this spring, Oakley said.
District 67 and Lake Forest High School have separate school boards, but operate under a shared service model where top administrators work for both districts.
