Mary Baum Named Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching

Submitted by Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

ELMHURST, IL — On July 19, the District 205 Board of Education confirmed Mary Baum as the next Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching, succeeding Michelle Fitzgerald.

Baum has served as the principal of Mill Street Elementary School in Naperville District 203 for the past four years.

She will begin her duties in Elmhurst on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

Baum served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal in Palatine District 15 for 15 years and has both elementary and middle school experience. She will complete her Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction doctorate from Aurora University this year. She also holds a Master’s in Teaching from National Louis University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rush University.

"Mary has a proven track record of cultivating collaboration, closing gaps, and communicating effectively,” noted Elmhurst Superintendent David Moyer. “Her passion is contagious, and her commitment to instructional excellence unsurpassed. We welcome her aboard with great enthusiasm."

Moyer also noted that Baum comes highly recommended and was the clear consensus candidate of the administrators and the teachers who served on the final interview committees. Her district-level leadership experience includes: director for AVID, District co-facilitator for the EC-5 Principal Professional Learning Community, Dual Language Committee member, Committee for Gifted Program Evaluation member, and mentor to aspiring principals through a partnership between District 203 and North Central College.

Baum has implemented professional learning communities in her building, supervised a dual language program, and has extensive experience utilizing and supervising instructional coaches.

“I am honored to be selected to lead the Department of Learning and Teaching in Elmhurst,” she said. “This is an exciting time to be in the District with the implementation of a new English Language Arts curriculum and the new instructional coaches. District 205 has an outstanding reputation, and the community is known for its support of schools and the high value it places on education. I look forward to serving the community and supporting our staff in the great work they do with students.”