New schools superintendent landed in Alaska after a job fair

Though moving to Alaska in 1997 was an unexpected turn in Bill Burr's life when he began his career in education, it has grown on him, he said, and he is thrilled to continue his career in the state.

Burr will move to Wrangell July 1 to serve as schools superintendent. He was born in Iowa, but has worked as a teacher and administrator across Alaska.

He studied at the University of Northern Iowa, where he said his minor claim to fame was living in the same dorm as future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.

His first full-time teaching job was in Mountain Village, in the Lower Yukon School District.

"They were a last-minute addition to my university's job fair," Burr said. "Though I don't like the cold, I thought why not? I'll talk to them. Alaska was still that mythical place. The pay was a lot higher than the traditional Iowa pay. I thought if nothing else I'm gonna pay off some student loans and have an adventure."

After four years with Mountain Village, Burr moved to the Aleutians East Borough School District as tech director. After six years there, he became superintendent of the Delta/Greely School District in 2014.

The district straddles the Alaska and Richardson highways southeast of Fairbanks, and encompasses Fort Greely, Delta Junction and smaller towns. The district has over 800 students, more than twice the enrollment of Wrangell schools.

His move here, adding Southeast to his Alaska list. "North Slope's the only one I'm lacking," Burr said.

Aside from a change of scenery, Burr said he is excited to come to Wrangell for a variety of reasons. For one, he said Wrangell and the Delta/Greely districts have a lot in common. They are both high-achieving school districts, he said, so he believes he can bring a lot to the job as superintendent.

Wrangell has low turnover and high test scores, among other attributes. He said that he wants to learn how the district has accomplished this and combine it with his own knowledge, and use that to push the schools even further.

While he plans to spend the early days of his new job listening and learning, Burr said improving the district's use of technology will be one of his priorities. Another area he said will need focus is budgeting. He will have a lot to learn about the district's budget, the borough's contribution to it, and other factors that could affect the district.

"The early days of my job are going to be mostly listening about where we stand, and researching and evaluating that information to move forward," he said.

Burr said he intends to visit Wrangell in April or May, and finish his move to town by mid-June. He hopes to work with the current superintendent, Debbe Lancaster, and familiarize himself with Wrangell before beginning his job. He will take over for Lancaster after her contract expires June 30.