The Harvard Community Unit School District 50 Board of Education has approved the appointment of Sarah Wargaski as principal of Jefferson Elementary School for the 2026-27 academic year. A familiar face to the D50 community with over 22 years of experience in education, Wargaski has dedicated the last six to Harvard’s students, staff and families.
"The strength of our district is reflected in the people we develop and retain,” said Superintendent Dr. Brandon C. White. “Promoting talented educators from within sends a powerful message that Harvard CUSD 50 is a place where dedication is recognized and celebrated. Sarah represents exactly the kind of leader we want guiding our students, and we are proud she chose to continue her career here."
Wargaski most recently served as Jefferson’s student support facilitator, a role in which she led a strategic expansion of the school’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), a framework designed to ensure all students receive the necessary academic, behavioral and social-emotional support. She also streamlined day-to-day school operations, improved systems for lunch and recess supervision and after-school programming, provided professional development focused on high-quality instruction, and strengthened school culture and staff collaboration. During her tenure, she served as the acting administrator under the building principal as a teacher on special assignment.
“As a proud community member and Jefferson parent, I am honored to lead the talented staff and students I already care so much about and I look forward to building on our existing strengths to make Jefferson even more impactful for all our families,” said Wargaski.
Before stepping into the student support facilitator role, Wargaski spent three years as a pre-K through 12 instructional coach and team leader and summer school principal, where she built data-driven instructional support frameworks and developed the kind of collaborative, student-centered professional culture that defines high-achieving schools.
Her experience goes beyond the walls of Jefferson. Wargaski is a trainer in Project GLAD – a research-based instructional model that supports multilingual learners – and has presented at state and national conferences on bilingual education and mathematics instruction. She has served as a reviewer for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and has taught undergraduate math methods courses at Aurora University.
Wargaski holds two master's degrees, a master of education in teaching and leadership from Saint Xavier University and a master of arts in educational leadership from Aurora University, where she also earned her principal endorsement.
Her appointment is effective July 1, 2026.