District 200 Superintendent Gregory Johnson’s contract was extended until June 30, 2027 by a unanimous vote of the Board of Education on Aug. 24.

“It’s really exciting,” said Johnson, reflecting on his time as superintendent. “No matter where you are, all change is hard, right?…To move through changes takes a certain amount of grit and hope and vision and persistence.”

Johnson has been superintendent since July 1, 2021. Before that, he held various other administrative positions with the district, including assistant superintendent.

According to documents released by the Oak Park and River Forest Board of

Education, Johnson received a new Superintendent Employee Agreement this year because he has met “the student performance and academic improvement goals established with respect to his current Superintendent Employment Agreement.”

As Johnson sees his fourth year at OPRF, one program he plans on developing further is the College Career Pathway Endorsements, which provides “a way for graduates to leave this high school with a post-secondary endorsement on their diploma,” he said. This credential helps students apply for a post-secondary school or join the workforce after graduation.

Last school year, two 2023 OPRF graduates completed high school with their Certified Nursing Assistant endorsements. “That’s really special,” Johnson said. “Seeing that whole program develop in all sorts of different areas is going to be really exciting, and I look forward to that.”

Not only will Johnson continue to work on the educational structures that support students, he will also focus on the physical structure of the building. On April 27, 2023, the funding for Project 2 was approved unanimously by the Board of Education.

Project 2, a major renovation of the school’s pool and athletic facilities, is projected to break ground in the summer of 2024 and be completed in the summer of 2026. With the dates of Johnson’s contract, he will not only see the beginning of Project 2 but also the completion.

After working with community members, administrators, the Board of Education and others to get Project 2 approved, “it was a relief to know that we’re able to move forward and make these improvements. A huge relief,” said Johnson.“[The spaces are] certainly outdated, and they needed a lot of work. And there was a lot of community conversation about this, of course.”

Assistant Superintendent and Principal Lynda Parker agreed, saying, “It’s a hard, hard thing to do. I will say it’s not something that’s done every 10 years.” She added, “We are a facility that serves students, and we have to be honest that our athletic and P. E. facilities are not all they can be right now. And students who are experiencing them say that.”

As Project 2 will be built during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, Johnson and the rest of the administration will have to find a way to work with and around the construction. “It’s going to affect athletics and physical education,” said Parker, adding that the project “allows us to be creative and thoughtful and collaborative to try to figure it out…we have to find out how can we do all the things because it all still has to happen in a building that just doesn’t yield for space.”

Project 2 is not the first construction project Johnson has overseen at OPRF. Johnson’s first day as OPRF’s superintendent was the opening of the completed Project 1, which included the updating of classrooms, the Welcome Center and the balcony, as well as the creation of the Student Resource Center. “The previous superintendent really handed that off to me, [and] we’ve just continued that down the road,” Johnson said.

Johnson has led OPRF during other initiatives such as the detracking of the freshman curriculum and the creation of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council.

The Board of Education voted in October 2021 to replace college prep-level classes with honors classes in the freshmen curriculum for history, English, world languages and science, beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. The initiative was designed to increase access to high-level classes for all students regardless of race or socioeconomic status.

“All sorts of teachers in the school and division heads and administrators … have worked really hard to revamp our freshman curriculum over the past few years,” said Johnson. “That is something that this district had talked about for decades, and it’s so good to see [us] take our first steps with that.”

Johnson has also sought student feedback on his plans. According to Parker, Johnson felt that it was important to have a representative from all grade levels of the student body from which he could receive feedback. In turn, the Superintendent Student Advisory Council was created. Senior Paisley Templeton, member of the SSAC, said that the group “meets monthly to share student suggestions and perspectives … It’s great to have conversations and share my thoughts with the administration.”

Johnson is interested in the students’ opinions and ideas, students said. “He takes student voices into consideration immensely…student voices are really important to him,” said senior Marin Balaz, Student Council board representative.“[He] wants to be so involved with all OPRF students, and is such a funny and welcoming guy. Whenever I’ve talked to him, I [have] felt so comfortable [and okay to] be myself.”

“I appreciate how receptive the administration at OPRF is to student feedback,” said Templeton. “I’ve had many opportunities to share my comments with Dr. Johnson and Principal Parker, and they are always willing to listen.”

Not only is Johnson active in listening to the members inside the school, but he is also listening to members of the community as a resident himself. “Living in the community means that I’m part of all sorts of conversations around the community as just a community member, not a superintendent,” said Johnson. “[That] allows me to understand the district and this community in many more complex ways than I could if I lived elsewhere.”