The Kuspuk School Board appoints new Superintendent of Schools

by Kuspuk Staff

April 15, 2020 -­‐ The Board of Education for the Kuspuk School District is pleased to announce their unanimous choice for a new Superintendent, Mr. James Anderson, beginning July 1, 2020.

The Board wishes to express their sincere thanks to everyone who participated and supported the search for a new superintendent during these extraordinary times. On April 14, the Board interviewed each candidate for one hour in executive session. The Board received and reviewed individual written comments from staff and community regarding the virtual forum held with the candidates on Monday, April 13th.

The Board met in executive session on the afternoon, April 14th, to review the results of the interviews and the written input from the forum and district leadership staff. The Board then discussed the appointment of their choice for Superintendent from the three candidates. After coming out of executive session, the Board took formal action in open session and unanimously supported the appointment of James Anderson. The Board and Mr. Anderson have agreed to a 2-year contract and a starting salary of $126,000 per year.

Mr. Anderson began his time in education as a teacher, coach, and administrator for public schools in Georgia and Oklahoma. James has most recently served as an educational consultant to the International School of Africa and the European Azerbaijan School, developing school programs, training teachers, and taking the schools through accreditation. Previous to that he served as the head of Westside Academy and principal of Morrison Academy, both independent parochial schools.

Mr. Anderson has a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from the University of Georgia (1984), an M.Ed. in Leadership & Educational Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma (1995), and received a Peabody Fellowship for independent school leadership at Vanderbilt University (2008).

Mr. Anderson made the following statement upon his appointment: “My wife and I are excited to be coming to the Kuspuk School District and to become a part of the KSD family. Harvey Hoffman and the Kuspuk School Board, along with Lon Garrison of the Association of Alaska School Boards, took an enormous amount of time and energy to get to know me, both professionally and personally. I appreciate their efforts and look forward to meeting with community members at each of the Kuspuk schools later in the fall.”