Wrangell's school board met Monday evening, Oct. 12. Among other business they discussed during the meeting, they accepted a letter of resignation from Superintendent Debbe Lancaster.
"There are several reasons for my resignation with one being that I would like to pursue a position in education in another district to be with my spouse," Lancaster wrote in her letter, dated Oct. 1. "I will work until the end of my contract and help the Wrangell Public School Board and staff transition another superintendent for the School Year 2022. My last day will be June 30, 2021."
Lancaster was brought on as the WPSD superintendent in July of 2018. According to an April 2018 article in the Wrangell Sentinel, she came to Wrangell from Utqiagvik, where she worked as a program administrator for the North Slope Borough School District. Her contract was for three years. There was some controversy concerning Lancaster recently, when she and other district staff members made an unannounced shopping trip to Juneau for COVID-19 mitigation supplies via chartered plane and ferry, without school board approval and against a district moratorium on travel.
The school board accepted Lancaster's resignation, amending their motion to reflect an effective date of June 30, 2021. Multiple board members voiced their gratitude for her staying on until the end of her contract to help the district in its transition.
"I thank you, Superintendent Lancaster, for doing this in a timely manner," Aaron Angerman said. "I know it was probably really hard to do so. It'll help us start our steps to find a replacement, and I'm happy that you're staying on to finish out your contract for the stability of the school year in very unstable times."
"In a meeting, recently, with Dr. Lancaster she said she is still totally committed to finishing out, and going out with a bang, doing as much as she can," David Wilson added. "I appreciate that attitude and that work ethic, that she's going to just push and do as much as she can to keep our district going to the best she's able to."
Wrangell district policy outlines some qualifications for the superintendent position. The document, dated February of this year, reads that a successful superintendent candidate will be expected to guide the district through implementation of a new strategic plan and curriculum mapping, among other projects. Other qualifications listed include grant writing or grant management experience, prior experience as a director or school administrator, strong communication skills and the ability to hold a Type B administrative certificate with a superintendent endorsement.
The Wrangell Sentinel reached out to Lancaster for comment, but she did not respond as of press time.
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