Former principal to serve as associate superintendent
From Submitted Reports December 7, 2012 6:26PM
Lane Abrell
Updated: January 10, 2013 6:27AM
A familiar face will return to the Plainfield School District to take a new top leadership position.
Lane Abrell, who served nine years at Plainfield High School as both assistant principal and principal will be the district’s first “associate superintendent” in 2013-14. He then will take over as superintendent when current Superintendent John Harper retires in July 2014.
The school board recently announced Abrell’s appointment.
Since 2006, Abrell has been superintendent of Leland School District, a small, rural district in LaSalle County.
The board created the new associate superintendent’s post to allow Abrell to work with Harper for a year before taking charge of the fourth-largest public school district in Illinois.
“With the potential changes in Illinois legislation that we can’t predict, unprecedented challenges to members of the educational community, and the tremendous range of financial challenges we face, it all makes sense for us to have a year of overlap with Dr. Harper and Dr. Abrell working together,” board President Roger Bonuchi said.
Abrell will make a base salary of $168,000 in 2013-14. In 2014 Abrell will make a base salary of $205,000. He will then receive 1 percent raises to $207,050 in 2015-16, and $209,120 in 2016-17.
Abrell started his education career in 1986 as a health, physical education and driver education teacher at Lincoln-Way High School. He also coached boys basketball. He then worked 1990-93 as dean of students at Lockport High School, and 1993-95 as assistant principal at Minooka High School.
From 1995 to 1997, Abrell served as assistant principal at Munster High School in Munster, Ind.
He came to Plainfield in 1997 and worked for two years as assistant principal. He served as principal at Plainfield Central from 1999 to 2006.
Harper has served the district since 1981, including the last 10 years as superintendent.
