Meg Burns, principal of Sutherland Elementary School in Beverly, will retire at the end of this academic year after a career in education that began more than two decades ago. Before becoming an educator, Burns spent 18 years as an actor, including performing and touring with Second City’s improv comedy troupe.
Burns transitioned to teaching in 2004, starting at Gallistel Language Academy with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where she taught fifth grade. She reflected on her move from the stage to the classroom: “I was 100 percent committed to the classroom. I never thought I would be an administrator,” Burns said. “I loved my nice, tight ship, and the students provided me with a great audience for characters I wanted to try out. I always said, ‘I don’t know if we learned anything, but we sure had fun.’”
After eight years at Gallistel and a year coaching urban teachers outside the classroom, Burns became assistant principal at Barnard Elementary School in 2013. Her connection to Sutherland Elementary was personal; her children attended the school and graduated in 2007. She credited former Principal Jim Conway for inspiring her path into education.
“After a lot of thought and reflection, I decided that if I were going to be a principal anywhere, it had to be Sutherland. I jumped in with both feet,” she said.
Burns joined Sutherland as principal in 2017. Since then, enrollment has increased from 550 students to over 660. The school received recognition for academic achievement and expanded its after-school programs during her tenure.
“It was really important for me to make sure that the school was solid and had re-rooted ourselves in the community and that we were stable with our enrollment and our staffing,” Burns said regarding her decision to retire now.
In July, CPS named Burns one of its 20 “game-changer” principals. In 2025, Sutherland earned a commendable designation from the Illinois State Board of Education. The school also received strong results on the University of Chicago’s annual 5Essentials Survey last year.
Reflecting on her time as principal, Burns noted challenges such as adapting plans due to COVID-19: “COVID came three years later and set us back in a number of ways. In rebuilding and re-engaging the community post-COVID, we had to tweak our plan,” she said. “I feel like we have gotten to that point where we have regained the trust of our community and regained our roots in the community.”
She expressed pride in her staff’s dedication: “I am exceptionally proud of the responsiveness of the school to the diversity of our community and really seeing the adults in the building, being open to change and reflect on the changes in the world and the community,” Burns said. “I am in awe of the capacity of already exceptional educators being willing to try something new and being willing to look at themselves and say, ‘Hey, maybe there’s something I need to change here.’”
Sutherland’s local school council has begun searching for a new principal for next year. Council Chairperson Herb Lentz stated interviews are expected to begin in March: “The LSC is committed to a fair and transparent process. We want the input of staff as well as parents and guardians, and the community as well,” he said.
Lentz added his confidence that CPS will select someone who can continue building on Burns’ legacy: “She has been a fierce advocate for every student from the new kindergarteners coming in to the eighth-graders who are going off to awesome high schools around the city,” he said.
