New principal picked for Buffalo Grove High

Carol Burlinski was named the new principal of Buffalo Grove High School at Thursday's school board meeting.

The Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board met in closed session for about 10 minutes before unanimously approving Burlinski for the position, effective for the 2008-09 school year. Buffalo Grove's current principal, Patrice Johannes, is retiring in June.

"I want to thank the board of education and Buffalo Grove with all its talented staff," Burlinski said after the vote. "I'm really looking forward to next year."

Burlinski has 32 years of experience in the educational field. For the past six years, she's been the associate principal for instruction at Buffalo Grove High School.

Around 30 people applied for the position, District 214's Superintendent David Schuler said.

"Carol has demonstrated that she is a strong and effective instructional leader," Schuler said. "With the achievement gains realized over the past several years, I am looking forward to continued student improvement."

Burlinski began her career as a junior high social science teacher at a private school in Chicago. In 1986, she joined District 214 as a social science teacher at John Hersey High School, where she taught for 10 years. During the next three years, Burlinski supervised student teachers as the Cooperative Teacher Education Program coordinator before returning to Hersey in 1999 as a division head. She was named the associate principal for instruction at Buffalo Grove High School in 2002.

She lives in Inverness.

Burlinski received her bachelor's degree from Northern University and her master's degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

Based on input from District 214 staff, students and parents, the school board was looking for a principal who was "highly visible, approachable and willing to listen," according to a District 214 statement passed out at Thursday's board meeting.

"When we reviewed the criteria the groups described as being important," Schuler said, "Carol fit well with each one."