College Board official to head U-46's high schools

Two recent administrative appointments reveal that Elgin Area School Distrtict U-46 continues its game of administrative musical chairs.

At Monday's school board meeting, Superintendent Jose Torres announced that Greg Walker will be the district's assistant superintendent for secondary education next year.

Barb Bonner, currently U-46's chief academic officer, will serve as chief of staff next year.

In late January, Torres announced that seven current administrative positions would be eliminated at the end of the school year.

Those positions included the district's assistant superintendent for administrative operations, Lalo Ponce; its chief academic officer, Bonner; its executive director of programs and accountability, Deb Dimke; executive director of secondary education, Tom Donausky; executive director of elementary education, Tina Radomsky; coordinator of staff development, Sherry Hullinger; and coordinator of instructional technology, Janine Shelley.

With these positions gone, Torres said a new chief of staff, a new executive director for student services and two assistant superintendents ­­ one for elementary education and one for secondary education ­ would be added.

Bonner was originally supposed to take the role of assistant superintendent for secondary education.

Walker has worked for the College Board ­­ which puts out the AP and SAT exams since 2004, and is currently an executive director for major accounts in the non-for-profit's Rosemont office.

Prior to joining the College Board, Walker was the principal of G.W. Fowler High School in Syracuse, N.Y., from 2000-2004.

He earned a master's in educational administration from the State University of New York in Oswego, and a bachelor's from Syracuse University.

"Mr. Walker's experience with high schools, especially in the area of increasing rigor and closing the achievement gap, will be an asset to our school district as we work to improve student achievement for all students," Torres said in a news release. "Greg has worked with school districts across the country that face similar challenges in improving high schools, while also having the hands-on experience of overseeing a large high school in New York," he added.

Elgin, South Elgin, Bartlett, Streamwood and Larkin high schools have all failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress for the past several years.

Both positions are effective July 1.