Barrington School District 220 officials voted at the virtual school board meeting earlier this month to approv an administrative promotion, as the administrator being replaced approaches her retirement date.
Mary Dudek, current assistant superintendent of human resources, is set to retire at the end of the school year. Teresa Reiche will step into the role, effective July 1. For the past six years, Reiche served as SD220’s director of HR and worked directly with Dudek.
“I do have big shoes to fill,” Reiche said of Dudek. “I’ve had a wonderful mentor over these six years with Mary, bless her heart. She’s taught me so much.”
Reiche began her career as an elementary school teacher, officials said during the meeting. Prior to coming to SD220, she was an elementary school assistant principal in Palatine School District 15. She holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and she is currently pursuing a doctorate.
The board approved Reiche’s promotion in a 6-1 vote. She said she’s excited for the next step in her career and looks forward to working with the administrative team and the Board of Education in new ways.
“Teresa is stepping into a big position,” Superintendent Brian Harris said ahead of the board’s vote. “We’re looking forward to her in that role and being part of our exec council team here in Barrington 220.”
Dudek told the Barrington Courier-Review that her successor will continue to maintain the importance of trust and comfort within the HR department and the district.
“I believe Teresa will do a great job carrying that culture forward,” she said.
Dudek lives in Cary and has worked at SD220 for the past nine years. Prior to her work in Barrington, she spent most of her career in Schaumburg as a teacher, principal and swim coach. More recently, she directed curriculum in several northwest suburban school districts, she told the Barrington Courier-Review.
Retiring felt like the best choice for Dudek when she made the decision in February, she said. She’s looking forward to joining her husband in retirement and having more time to golf, hike and spend time with family and friends.
The school board approved Dudek’s retirement at its March 3 meeting, the last one before Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that Illinois schools would be moving online because of concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Since then, Pritzker has announced that school instruction will remain remote for the rest of the academic year.
Dudek said she feels sorry for other teachers and administrators who are retiring during the pandemic and won’t be able to finish out their careers with students and colleagues. Personally, though, she said she prefers to avoid the attention that comes with retirement celebrations anyway.
“For me, this is just perfect,” she said.
She noted the friends, colleagues, students and the “hometown feel” of Barrington as things she’ll miss the most about her time there.
“Even in challenging times, everyone works together and puts students first,” she said. “And we have fun at the same time. It’s just a really great place to work.”
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist
