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School superintendent resigns

By Rose Hooper
Resigned Superintendant, Frank Burrell

Frank Burrell

 Jackson County School Superintendent Frank Burrell has announced he will retire effective Jan. 31, 2001.

Burrell's announcement came April 27 following a closed meeting of the Jackson County Board of Education.

"If I could go back and do it all again, I wouldn't do it any differently," Burrell said, looking back over his 33 years with the county school system.

Board member James Roper accepted Burrell's resignation "with regret."

"Basically, I hate to see him go. He's taken a lot of tough situations and corrected them... and there'll probably be more tough situations before he retires," school board Chairman Martha Queen said. "He's always supported the board as we set our goals and needs for the schools. One thing I really like about him is that he is so easy to work with, and it's going to be hard replacing him."

The board agreed to advertise for the position within the state system. Applications will be accepted until June 30, with the hiring process to begin in July.
Burrell said he would be "on the job, working until the last day." As for any retirement plans, he said he wants to spend more time working on his farm. He and his wife, Louise, who just retired, may spend some time traveling, he said, adding, "My wife already has a list a mile long of things for me to do when I retire."

Burrell was named superintendent in April 1997, replacing Charles McConnell. A former teacher and principal, Burrell was educated in Cullowhee.

After graduating from Cullowhee High in 1960, he attended Western Carolina University, where he earned a bachelor's degree is social science in 1964. He earned his master's from WCU in 1969 and his education specialist degree in 1981.

At the beginning of his education career, Burrell spent 1964-68 in Alaska as a teacher and principal.

Returning to Jackson County in 1968, he was principal of Webster Elementary until 1973 when it consolidated with Sylva and Savannah elementary schools to form Fairview.

Burrell was director of instruction at Fairview until 1976 when he became principal of Sylva-Webster High School, a position he held until 1988. He then accepted the position of assistant superintendent of Jackson county Schools and was promoted to associate superintendent in 1995.

Among his awards and honors are Outstanding Young Educator of the Year, Educator of the Year and Principal of the Year, all for Jackson County. He is listed in Who's Who in North Carolina.

He serves as a secondary schools consultant to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and a certified assessor with the N.C. Principal's Assessment Program. He also serves on the N.C. Middle School Task Force, is past chairman of Southwestern JobReady Partnership Council and is a certified manager with the Management Development Program of the State Department of Public Instruction.

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