Vermont educator chosen to be next Milton school superintendent

MILTON – Peter Burrows, who heads the Addison Central School District in Vermont, is the Milton School Committee's unanimous choice for superintendent.

Burrows "very happily accepted our offer" after being notified of Friday morning's vote, school committee Chair Ada Rosmarin said. He had been watching the remote meeting, she said.

The appointment is subject to Burrows and the school committee agreeing on a contract.

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The vote was held after the school committee members spent more than an hour talking about what they saw as the strengths of Burrows and the other two finalists: Medford Assistant School Superintendent Peter Cushing and Marblehead Assistant School Superintendent Nan Murphy.

"We knew this wasn't going to be an easy decision," Rosmarin said.

Committee members said all three finalists were strong candidates for the job.

Rosmarin said she favored Burrows because he has "proven leadership as a superintendent."

She also cited his role as president of the Vermont Superintendents Association and his role in mentoring new school superintendents.

Burrows, 52, is in his 10th year as superintendent of the Addison Central School District, which is based in Middlebury and includes six other towns. The district has about 1,600 students in preschool through grade 12, making it less than half the size of Milton schools.

He began his career in education teaching English as a second language at an Oregon community college. He later taught English in Japan, South Korea and Mexico. He was also a teacher, assistant principal and principal at Willamette High School in Eugene, Oregon, before taking his current job.

He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Oregon, a master's degree in teaching from the School for International Training, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Oregon.

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Committee member Beverly Ross-Denny said she was impressed by Burrows' ability to work in a community and his "exceptional change management skills." Committee member Elizabeth White said she was impressed by Burrows' interest in Milton and the fact he hasn't applied elsewhere.

"He would be the best fit for us right now," White said.

Many of the committee members also said they could support Murphy for the job, pointing to her work turning around a struggling school in Lowell before she went to Marblehead.

In a telephone interview Friday, Burrows said he was thrilled to receive the Milton job offer.

He said he applied for the Milton job because he was "really feeling the pull to move to a school district that's more urban, more diverse."

He said he did some research on the community, including reviewing the school system's strategic plan, and found it fit with his personal goals.

"It seems like a perfect match," Burrows said.

He said he hopes to start his new job July 1 and plans to keep up with what's going on in the district and spend a few days in Milton before then. Once he begins, Burrows said he plans to do "some deep listening, learning and understanding. The biggest thing is to get every student what they need."

Burrows and his wife, Sonja, are the parents of three children. One is in college and the other two are high school age. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and playing the bass.

Rosmarin said there were 19 applicants for the job. They were evaluated by an 11-member selection committee, which chose the three finalists. The finalists toured the Milton schools Tuesday and were interviewed by the school committee Wednesday.

The committee conducted an expedited search for a new superintendent after the resignation of James Jette in November. Jette, who became school superintendent in August 2020, had been on paid administrative leave since July following his arrest on a domestic violence charge, which was later dropped.

Janet Sheehan, a former assistant school superintendent in the system, has been serving as interim school superintendent and will continue in the role through the end of the month.

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Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Milton selects Vermont educator Peter Burrows as school superintendent