Ashton resigns to take Tanana superintendent position

Longtime Evergreen Elementary Principal Therese Ashton submitted a letter of resignation to the Wrangell Public School Board on Monday, Feb. 18, opening the way for a change in leadership at the school for the first time in more than a decade.

Ashton’s tenure as principal and head teacher at Evergreen will end at the completion of this school year – and she is set to take on the position of superintendent at the Tanana City School District near Fairbanks. She will take the place of current superintendent Susan Sciabbarrasi, a former principal of Wrangell High School who also served as superintendent of the district for five years.

While she awaited the graduation of her daughter, Sasha Ashton, from Wrangell High School, Ashton said she searched for a superintendent position across the state. She added that while looking back, it was a joyous time spent at the head of the school.

“I have truly enjoyed working with the students the most,” Ashton said. “The students in Wrangell are probably the most fun, the smartest, and have the most potential of any I have ever seen. As they have grown up it has given me a lot of pleasure and their parents have been very easy to work with. I also enjoyed the teamwork with our teachers to get our students where they need to go.”

Wrangell superintendent Rich Rhodes commended Ashton on her service to the district.

“I would like to thank Therese Ashton for her service to the district and congratulate her on her selection as the superintendent of the Tanana School District effective July 1, 2013,” he wrote in his report to the board.

In other district news, the board approved the ratification of a negotiated agreement with the Wrangell Teacher’s Association that will stand through June 30.

Among some of the changes to the agreement are a reduction in the number of days teachers may donate to their sick-leave account. The previous contract allowed for up to two days per quarter or eight days per school year. The new agreement reduces that amount to one day and four days, respectively. Teachers will also see a reduction in the amount of personal leave, down from eight days to a week.

According to the terms of the document, tenured teachers who have “consistently exceeded the District performance standards,” may be evaluated every other year, as opposed to the current policy of annual evaluations.

The board also approved the hiring of Rory Prunella and Jason Clark as coaches for the Wolves baseball team, and Lisa Nikodym as the assistant coach for Lady Wolves softball.

The next meeting of the board is set for March 18 at the district office.