Next principal for Harvard’s Jefferson Elementary selected

For the first time in 17 years, Jefferson Elementary School in Harvard will have a new principal.

The Harvard School District 50 board hired Rebecca Adams as the new principal at its meeting Wednesday, according to a news release. She will replace Judy Floeter, who will retire at the end of the current 2022-23 school year.

Floeter is in her 17th year as the school’s principal, spokeswoman Kari Firak said.

Adams will begin her position as principal of Jefferson Elementary School on July 1. She will be paid $109,000.

Adams has more than 20 years of experience in public education, most recently in her third year as principal of Antioch School District 34′s Oakland Elementary School.

Prior to that, she was assistant principal of Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Crystal Lake and a teacher of various grade levels for more than 11 years in Woodstock School District 200. She began her career in 2003 as a teacher at School City of East Chicago, Indiana.

I can’t wait to start getting to know the students, staff, and families at Jefferson Elementary School and continue growing together.

—  Rebecca Adams,

“Adams brings decades of experience in education to Harvard District 50,” Superintendent Dr. Corey Tafoya said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome her to our leadership team and believe that her dedication to serving all students and collaborative, forward-thinking philosophy is the perfect fit for our #HarvardRising culture.”

Adams did her undergraduate work at Valparaiso University, holds a master’s degree from both Indiana Wesleyan University and Aurora University, and is working toward her doctorate degree, according to the release.

“I am so excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Harvard Team,” Adams said in a statement. “I can’t wait to start getting to know the students, staff, and families at Jefferson Elementary School and continue growing together.”