ANNOUCEMENT:

OPRFHS Board approves superintendent contract and goals 
 
May 15, 2007 - The Oak Park and River Forest High School Board of Education on Tuesday formally approved the hiring of Dr. Attila J. Weninger as the high school’s next superintendent, effective July 1, 2007. The Board approved a 3-year contract with Dr. Weninger detailing employment and compensation provisions, as well as goals and performance indicators.
     The contract provides that Dr. Weninger’s salary for the first year will be $200,000, with future increases contingent upon annual evaluations. The District will also provide a $600 per month car allowance and pay the Superintendent’s, as well as District’s, share of contributions to the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System.
     The major performance indictors linked to the contract are in the following areas:  improving academic achievement for all students with particular emphasis on improved achievement of minority and special education students; integrating a separate position of principal into the District’s administrative structure within the budget; improving school climate among students and staff, and establishing a positive and meaningful presence in the school and community.
     Dr. Weninger is currently the Director of Human Resources at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, where he also served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction from 1996 through 2004. He was Principal of Wheaton North High School from 1992-1996, following an 18-year career at Lake Park High School in Roselle where he served in many capacities:  English teacher, activity sponsor and coach, English Department Chair, Director of Summer Programs, and Assistant Principal in three different capacities - Student Services, Administrative Services, and Instructional Services.

Dr. Attila J. Weninger to be named next OPRFHS Superintendent

April 14, 2007 - The Oak Park and River Forest High School Board of Education is pleased to announce its selection of Dr. Attila J. Weninger as the high school’s next superintendent, effective July 1, 2007. The Board is in the midst of negotiating a contract with Dr. Weninger and may vote on his appointment and the agreement as early as its April 26 meeting. 

“Dr. Weninger is a distinguished educator with the breadth and depth of experience and leadership qualities needed to take our students and high school to the next level of excellence,” District 200 Board President Barry Greenwald said. “He understands the critical importance our school and community attach to the achievement of each and every one of our students, and he brings the energy, high standards, and focused commitment to accountability required to make genuine progress on this complex issue.”

Dr. Weninger is currently the Director of Human Resources at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, where he also served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction from 1996 through 2004. He was Principal of Wheaton North High School from 1992-1996, following an 18-year career at Lake Park High School in Roselle where he served in many capacities:  English teacher, activity sponsor and coach, English Department Chair, Director of Summer Programs, and Assistant Principal in three different capacities - Student Services, Administrative Services, and Instructional Services.

"Such varied – and deliberately chosen -- responsibilities throughout 34 years in education are ideal preparation for the challenges facing a superintendent in a one-building high school district," Dr. Greenwald said. Those who have worked with Dr. Weninger and know him through his many professional affiliations describe him as a leader who gets things done by setting extremely high standards of accountability for himself and others.

Among his many attributes, he is known for keeping student voices and experiences central in academic and co-curricular decisions and policies.  He established a Student Academic Advisory Committee to advise him about academic matters from students' direct perspective, and from this group he appointed two students each year to key leadership positions, including membership on the equivalent of OPRF’s Instructional Council. He has had proven success in recruiting and retaining minority staff and in the development of an effective and comprehensive induction and mentoring program for new teachers. While at Lyons, he also initiated and implemented a school-wide curriculum review process, which resulted in department and course standards, common assessments, and a sustained increase in student achievement.

“I am honored, appreciative and excited to be the superintendent of OPRF.  To be a steward of such students, school, and district is a profound responsibility, which I accept humbly,” Dr. Weninger said. “I am returning to a community that I moved away from for professional reasons but one I have always cherished and considered home.”

Dr. Weninger said he views OPRF as a “lighthouse school district – one capable of fulfilling its mission as an academically rigorous, comprehensive high school where I do believe each student will achieve.  I believe that mission requires us to give every student the tools they need to pursue, achieve, and succeed in their life goals beyond high school.”

Dr. Weninger, who is Austro-Hungarian by birth, immigrated to the United States as a child with his family.  He has a passionate belief in the power of a rigorous and comprehensive education as the foundation for opportunity, achievement, success, and service. He has a M.A. in English and Ph.D. in Social Policy from Northwestern University, a B.A. magna cum laude from Michigan State University, and he began his undergraduate studies at Maryknoll Seminary concentrating in religious studies.

"Over the next weeks, the Board of Education will look forward to introducing Dr. Weninger formally to the community as we prepare for the important transition and work ahead," Dr. Greenwald said. 

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