Lane Tech principal leaving for new post
The principal of Lane Tech College Prep has announced he’s stepping down from the helm of Chicago’s largest high school and accepting a new administrative position in the northwest suburbs.
Lane Tech Principal Brian Tennison, who has led the high school for five years, has been hired by Elgin-based District U-46, where he will be executive director of high schools.
Expressing “excitement and sadness” about his departure in a letter to the Lane Tech commuity, Tennison noted the school has “has risen in national ranking, and is third in the state for college readiness.”
“Lane is a strong school with a bright future,” Tennison said. “Lane is an example of the power of community, a community that believes in kindness, empathy and respect. Lane is a place where student voice is critical to understanding the work that needs to be done.
“To allow your students to attend Lane is the highest level of honor that could be shown, and I have always taken the responsibility seriously — to keep your children safe and provide them with opportunities of belonging and educational growth.”
His announcement came a day after his boss, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, revealed her own plans to step down when her contract expires in June.
“I can think of no greater purpose than investing in children, and I will strive to continue the work of supporting the education of children, as I have up until this point at Chicago Public Schools,” he said. “Each year, I have cherished the sporting events, music performances, plays, musicals, art installations, graduation ceremonies — and of course, our unified power clap . ...
“I cherished every student who said hello in the hallway or parking lot as they went about their day.”
Officials at U-46 — Illinois’s second-largest school system after CPS — said in a Friday statement that Tennison’s “experience as an instructional leader and advocate for all students will be a great asset to our team and district.”
Tennison was one of several new directors announced at U-46 this week as part of a new central office organizational structure that “aims to better support principals as the instructional and operational leaders of their schools,” U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders said.
“We know that principals are second only to teachers in terms of the impact they have on student achievement,” Sanders said, adding that the new organizational structure “is cost-neutral and intended to better support schools.”