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District 53 superintendent retiring at end of school year

Heidi Wennstrom, superintendent of Oak Brook's Butler Elementary District 53, announced in an email Saturday morning to district parents that she is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Wennsrom said she recently notified the school board of her decision.

"This allows the board ample time to conduct a comprehensive search, a process that they have already begun," she said in the email. "The board is looking at a variety of options in conducting the search and will communicate them within the next few weeks."

Wennstrom, who previously was assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park and Highwood, became superintendent in July 2013. She began her career as an elementary teacher, working in both Antioch and Libertyville.

"I've had the opportunity to work with some truly fantastic parents, students and educators during my time at Butler," Wennstrom said in her email.

In her time with the district, both the elementary and junior high school were honored with prestigious national Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education.

However, the district was sued by parents unhappy over how administrators handled an investigation into allegations of a plan to cheat during the 2016 National Geographic Bee regional competition at Brook Forest Elementary School. The matter has yet to go to trial.

After the first lawsuits were filed in 2016, the Brook Forest principal resigned. And the four board members whose terms expired in April 2017 did not seek re-election.

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