The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education quickly turned to familiar faces to fill the superintendent’s role in the district after superintendent Ushma Shah suddenly resigned, effectively immediately , on Aug. 15.

At a special meeting on Aug. 18 the School Board voted 6-0 to appoint current assistant superintendent Patrick Robinson to be acting superintendent until Sept. 15. At that time retired superintendents Griff Powell and Patricia Wernet will take over as co-interim superintendents for the remainder of the 2025-26 school while the board searches for a new leader.

Powell and Wernet are familiar with District 97 having served as co-interim superintendents in District 97 in the 2021-2022 school year before Shah was hired in 2022.

“We are excited to welcome back

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