Dear Jack Benny Families and Staff,
I’m writing to share an important update regarding the leadership at Jack Benny Middle School.
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Michael Field as the Interim Principal of Jack Benny for the 2025-2026 school year, effective immediately. Dr. Field is a veteran educator and a valued member of our District 60 leadership team. For the past three years, he has served as an Assistant Principal at Waukegan High School’s Brookside Campus, where he built strong relationships with students, staff, and families. Dr. Field supported and coached teachers as they implemented teaching strategies to drive student performance.
Late last month, we received the resignations of the school’s previous principal and assistant principal. We recognize that these resignations may have raised some understandable questions and concerns, but we want to reassure you that the faculty and staff did a wonderful job maintaining the climate and culture while also continuing to educate our students. We wish to thank everyone for your patience as we worked to fill these vacancies. Please know that the safety, academic success, and stability of Benny remain top priorities, and we are confident that the school is in capable hands under Dr. Field’s leadership.
We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Terry O’Brien, who stepped in to help lead the school during the final weeks of the 2024-2025 school year. We appreciate his commitment to supporting the Benny community during this time of transition.
As we move forward, we are committed to including the voices of staff, families, and students in the process of selecting the next permanent principal. To ensure that the school year gets off to a strong and stable start, we will begin the official hiring process for the permanent principal in January 2026. This timeline allows Dr. Field the opportunity to establish consistency and momentum as the new school year begins, and gives our community time to fully engage in the selection process. We will share more information about how you can be involved as the time approaches.
In the coming days and weeks, Dr. Field will share more information about himself as well as opportunities to meet him and hear more about his vision for the school. Additionally, we will soon begin the process of hiring a new Assistant Principal to complete the leadership team at Jack Benny.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to a successful year. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Theresa Plascencia
Superintendent