There’s no question the passion and vision Jennifer Norrell put into her role as superintendent will define her seven years at the helm of East Aurora School District 131.
When Norrell insists, “I love Aurora,” there’s no reason to doubt her.
But the pull of home was too much for her, she told me Thursday morning, the same day a press release went out from Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233 announcing she would take over the reins there beginning July 1, 2023.
This next stop, and one that likely will send her into retirement, Norrell said, will take her back to the south suburbs where she once lived and where her mother still resides.
“This is an opportunity to finish my career in the community where I raised my daughter,” she said, referring to her only child who graduated from Metea Valley High School in Aurora and is now a sophomore attending college in Virginia.
Norrell insists she was not looking for a new job when she received a text from a longtime resident of the Homewood-Flossmoor district, informing her the district had posted a superintendent opening and told her “it was time to come home.”
Said Norrell, “It touched my heartstrings.”
And so, she threw her hat in the ring, with a long resume that includes serving on the College Board’s National Superintendent’s Advisory Council, Education Research and Development Institute and Midwest Suburban Superintendent’s Association.
It also lists some impressive accolades, such as 2022 Superintendent of the Year for the Kishwaukee Illinois Region; 2023 Aurora African American Leader of the Year; and a 2021 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence award.
Norrell, the first female superintendent of East Aurora, the oldest school district in the state, also marked her spot in history as the the first African-American female superintendent in Kane County.
She was approved by the Homewood-Flossmoor Board of Education on Thursday after a long process that included community surveys, forums and interview panels.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Norrell to the district,” said Gerald Pauling, president of the District 233 Board of Education, in the press release.
Norrell told me the decision to leave East Aurora was difficult, but she will walk away at the end of this school year knowing her time here has made a lasting impact.
As the 12th largest district in the state, with a $300 million annual budget and roughly 2,000 employees, East Aurora has always been challenging and at times filled with “plenty of drama,” she said.
“I have always been a change agent. I have never stayed long,” Norrell noted, while also insisting she’s leaving the district in a position “where they are set for continuing excellence. Things are in place for the next 50 to 100 years that will make a difference.”
Norrell admits the decision, even with that pull toward home, was not easy. “It will be hard to walk away. I love the community, the parents, and of course the children, that goes without saying.”
Norrell is also proud of the bond formed with the school board, which she said has “stood the test of time,” and “will help the next superintendent be successful.”
Norrell described this fall as a “prime time to begin the search” for her replacement, which is what the school board will begin doing next week, said School Board President Annette Johnson, who herself has made a career switch with the announcement she is the new executive director of the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in Aurora.
“Dr. Norrell definitely changed the scope of the district,” said Johnson, noting that under her leadership, “test scores went up, graduation rates skyrocketed and our schools all became ‘commendable,’ which is a big deal in education … with two magnet schools earning highest distinctions.”
Norrell also championed the district’s PAWS Program, Johnson pointed out, which put comfort dogs into many classrooms, and was the visionary behind the district’s new Resilience Education Center that opened in March using 100% grant money, as well as the upcoming career center planned for the high school.
“I am happy for her. She will be back in her hometown,” said Johnson. “But she will be missed.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
