After four years of working with Wrangell School District, Superintendent Bill Burr submitted his letter of resignation in late March. He stated that it’s been an honor serving the school district to its QUOTE “successes, achievements and student accomplishments.”
His contract ends June 30. But, he’s not retiring, at least not yet.
Burr said he has some offers for other jobs in the near future, and he thinks it will involve Artificial Intelligence.
“I might go back into the tech world,” he said. “AI is a really big thing right now, and I see that definitely being involved in modern education. Refreshing myself a little bit on that is professionally expanding.”
He said he might work on an advanced degree in that field, and he’s not ruling out traveling abroad.
“I’ve always wanted to go overseas in Department of Defense schools, or see the world when I had reached a level that I could retire and see what’s out there,” Burr said. “I have a lot of interest in that too.”
He’s also considering possibly being a superintendent elsewhere – but he said the future is unknown.
“There’s going to be a lot on my plate for at least a year,” Burr said. “Just like the incoming superintendent, there are a lot of pathways in my own life to take.”
While he figures out what’s next, he said he’ll have more time to play music, which he’s passionate about.
“I play guitar, but my primary instrument is singing, but I can play moderate bass (too),” Burr said. “I can play some mandolin.”
He also plays violin and banjo.
As for Burr’s professional life, he said he thinks the school district did a lot of really great things while he served as superintendent. That includes being creative with the budget or accreditation. But he said the current state of affairs in Alaska feels like there’s always one other thing that’s being impacted.
He said he hopes the new superintendent will bring a fresh perspective, creative ideas and their expertise to the district.
Burr said, “A fresh look coming in with a different background and different ideas and stories, I’m hoping will make a big difference, rather than settling down and repeating many of the same pathways.”
Burr said that other challenges include the decline in population here in Wrangell. And when fewer students attend, the school gets less state funding.
He said his time in Wrangell has been quite a journey with some memorable moments.
“Graduation every year, because you’re watching those students that are now taking that first step beyond what they have had for 12 to 13 years,” Burr said. “Now they’re adults, they’re reaching that.”
School Board President Dave Wilson said the board decided to do the hiring process for a new superintendent in house, because the district needs to save funds.
He said two board members, Angela Allen and John DeRuyter, will be working closely with him and Human Resources Director Kim Powell.
Powell has been involved with many searches for superintendents in the past, so Wilson said he’s hopeful.
“She’s been here since 1990 and since I’ve lived here, we’ve had one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight or nine superintendents,” he said. “She’s been a part of that; at least she’s going to help us get through it.”
The school board will selected the finalists this week: Dr. Joshua Garrett, Mark Lee and Frank Oakes.
Early next week they’ll bring them to Wrangell, where they will have an interview with the entire school board, tour the town and meet the community. The hired candidate will start work on July 1.
