Maine Township High School District 207 names Tatiana Bonuma as new superintendent

After a search for a successor to Superintendent Ken Wallace, who is retiring in June, the Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education on Wednesday announced Tatiana Bonuma as its pick to succeed him as superintendent.

Bonuma has served as deputy superintendent for Leyden Township High School School District 212 since 2019, according to a news release from the district. Before then, Bonuma was West Leyden High School’s principal from 2015 to 2019. She was the high school’s assistant principal from 2007 to 2015.

The board unanimously approved an offer to Bonuma at their meeting Wednesday for a three-year contract. She will earn a base salary of $275,000 and start July 1, 2024.

“I’m really excited to be joining the team at 207,” Bonuma told Pioneer Press a day after the board approved her contract. “207 is a district that has a tradition of excellence, that has focused on innovation and supporting students in meeting them where they are and really propelling their success.”

Bonuma said she will focus on listening and learning from the community.

Per the news release, Board President Carla Owen said, “Dr. Bonuma brings skills and a perspective to the superintendent role that we think makes her ideally suited to make key decisions about the future of District 207.”

Bonuma said, “As we embark on this journey together, I want to express my deep commitment to our students, staff, parents, and the entire community. Together, let us continue to elevate our district, empower our students, and create a safe, inclusive learning environment. I look forward to working closely with all District 207 stakeholders as we shape the future of our schools.”

A reception for Bonuma will be held before the next scheduled board meeting on Jan. 8 at Maine South High School at 5 p.m. According to the district, the public will have that and other scheduled opportunities to meet Bonuma.

Bonuma earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dubuque with a triple major in Marketing, International Studies, and Spanish. She earned her masters in Secondary Education in Spanish, Business and Social Studies from the university. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Administration degree with a Superintendent Endorsement from Aurora University.

Born and raised in Brazil, Bonuma speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. According to news releases, the district touts itself as a place where students speak more than 70 languages. Bonuma says she understands the importance of communicating with families in the language they are most comfortable with. “Understanding how important culture is and really bringing all the positive aspects of our students and our family’s cultures into the district and honoring that is also really important to me,” she said.

According to the district, she began her career in education at Larkin High School in 1995 as a Spanish teacher and became an ELL/bilingual teacher at Canton Middle School for three years starting in 1997.

When she was West Leyden’s principal, Bonuma led a multiyear process that culminated in statistical equity in AP enrollment. According to the district, that led to West Leyden being ranked 52nd out of 1,519 high schools in the state in 2018.

Brett Clark, the district’s director of communications, said Bonuma could not attend the meeting on Wednesday due to a death in the family.

Wallace announced his retirement at the beginning of the school year. He has served as superintendent since 2009 and was the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for four years prior to that, the district said. When he retires, he will have spent 15 years in the position and 19 years in the district, making him the longest-serving superintendent in the district’s history.