Urbana HS Principal Hired as Unit 4 Asst. Superintendent

Urbana High School's principal will leave her job this summer to become the Champaign School District's assistant superintendent of achievement and pupil services.

Laura Taylor has worked at Urbana High for the last decade as an assistant principal and then principal, and before that taught at Columbia Center, which was Unit 4's alternative high school. She said the decision to leave her current job wasn't an easy one to make.

"I really love what we've done there, and I've worked with an incredible group of people," Taylor said. "While I'm so looking forward to working with (Champaign School District Dr. Judy Wiegand), and her term, it's just a hard decision. But I am glad that I've made it."

Taylor said while at Urbana High, she has worked hard to improve opportunities for all students, and she wants to continue those efforts in Champaign.

"I think I can bring some of that, how we've been able to open doors to our low-income and minority students and make sure that we raise the bar, but while raising the bar of expectations, we include everybody in that," Taylor said.

Taylor said she is also interested in looking at progress made under the now-expired federal Consent Decree, which was put into place in Champaign to help solve racial disparities with educational equity.

Wiegand said she is looking forward to working with Taylor, praising her work to close the graduation gap in Urbana.

"Laura I know is very, very committed to issues around equity and excellence and social justice, and that's why I want her here as well, to help us continue our work," Wiegand said.

Taylor will start her new job with Champaign Schools on July 1st.

Her departure from Urbana High School comes a few days after Preston Williams announced his plans to retire as the superintendent of the Urbana School District.