THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008
Dist. 26 Appoints New Euclid Principal
BY RICHARD MAYER
Journal Reporter
A new principal for Euclid School in Mt. Prospect has been selected to replace Maria Martinez, who abruptly left the position over spring break.
Laura Gammons, 44, principal at Seth Paine Elementary School in Lake Zurich, will take over for Martinez, effective Aug. 1. Her salary will be $100,000.
Martinez, who was in her fourth year at Euclid, was expected to leave her position, effective June 30.
However, according to Supt. Dr. Dane Delli, Martinez left three months early due to "confidential reasons." Delli said Martinez remains under contract through June 30 and will continue to be paid her base salary of approximately $102,000.
Asst. Principal Mitch Dubinsky will serve as interim principal for the remainder of the school year.
"I am very excited to start my new job," said Gammons. "I applied for the position because I thought it would be a great opportunity for the next step in my career. School Dist. 26 has a phenomenal superintendent who has a great reputation that I am interested in working for."
Gammons said during her first year as principal she wants to learn as much as possible about the district and the community.
She said once she becomes familiar with her surroundings, she will continue to promote the district's Response To Intervention (RTI) program.
The emphasis of RTI is to focus on providing more effective instruction by encouraging earlier intervention for students experiencing difficulty learning to read. This deters students from falling behind in school.
"That was one of the reasons why I like this district so much," she said. "I like how the elementary district is very much proactive and into RTI."
Gammons' career has spanned 23 years. Prior to serving as principal at Seth Paine for the past three years, she worked with elementary students in Berwyn, 10 years as a gifted resource teacher in North Barrington, and was an assistant principal at Everett School in Lake Forest.
Gammons grew up in suburban Detroit, Michigan, and attended college at Michigan State University and University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).
The school district is still searching for a principal to fill the soon-to-be vacancy at River Trails Middle School.
According to Kathy Beck, Delli's secretary, Principal Glenn Purpura will be leaving River Trails at the end of this school year to pursue other interests, effective June 30.
According to Beck, this is Purpura's third year at River Trails. His approximate salary is $98,280.
Beck said a principal to replace Purpura should be appointed at the Apr. 15 board of education meeting.