New D47 Principals, Leaders Hired For 2023-24 School Year

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Several new leaders will be joining District 47 once schools get back in session next month.

Here is a look at recently hired administrators and principals who will be in charge of making some of the Crystal Lake-based elementary school district's key decisions:

Tracy Hodgson has been hired as D47's director of transportation. Hodgson is currently TJA’s assistant director of transportation. Prior to coming to Crystal Lake, she was the transportation director for Marengo community schools, where she also served as a middle school principal and bus driver.

David Inglis has been hired as an assistant director of transportation. Inglis has served as a bus driver for the past six years driving a variety of routes in D47 and D155 as well as routes out of district.

Kari Firak has been hired as the director of communications and public engagement. During the 2022-23 school year Kari Firak served as director of communications for Harvard School District 50. Prior to that, she worked in Community High School District 155 as a communications specialist. Kari is a resident of Crystal Lake and a District 47 parent.

Carrie Coats has been hired as the principal at Hannah Beardsley Middle School. Coats' career in education spans 20 years. She is currently serving her third year as principal of Gavin Central District 37 in Ingleside. Prior to that, she was assistant principal for Big Hollow Middle School District 38 for 3.5 years. In the 16 years leading up to her positions in administration, Coats served as a 5th grade teacher at Big Hollow, a 6th grade teacher in Illinois School District U-46, and a multiage special education teacher at McHenry School District 15. She was also a director and kindergarten team lead at a parochial school in McHenry.

Gina Majewski has been hired as the assistant principal at Bernotas Middle School. Majewski has served in Addison District 4 as a dean of students for the 2022-23 school year. Prior to that, she served as a dual language two-way teacher in Huntley for three years and a bilingual/multilingual teacher in Addison District 4 for six years. Ms. Majewski holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish from Concordia University and master's degree in Educational Leadership from National Louis University.

Jana Loofboro has been hired as the assistant director of special education for District 47. For the 2022-23 school year, Jana Loofboro has served as the director of student services in the Pecatonica School District. Prior to that she was a special education procedural coach for four years in the Rockford School District. Before she was a coach, she was a special education teacher for 10 years in both the Rockford and Belvidere School Districts. Jana has a master's degree in Differentiated Instruction and Administration from Concordia University Chicago.

John Devine has been hired as the assistant director of special education for District 47. Devine has served as the principal of Richardson Elementary School in Fort Madison, Iowa for the 2022-23 school year. Mr. Devine also served as a building facilitator for two alternative education schools in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prior to that, he taught in a self-contained classroom for students with severe and profound disabilities as well as a classroom for individuals on the autism spectrum in Cedar Rapids School District. He also co-taught in both the elementary and middle school setting in several south side schools in Chicago Public School District.