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Burlington, IA – Assistant Superintendent Jane Evans will take over as superintendent on July 1.
Evans will replace Dr. Lee Morrison. Morrison is stepping down to become the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Davenport.
The Burlington School Board met with Evans for 3 hours on Wednesday night before offering her the job.
Evans says she is excited about the opportunity. She says one of her top priorities will be to improve the education received by every Burlington Student.
"We have a minority gap at the middle school level," says Evans, "that has been persistent. We have to work on that."
Evans says she will also continue her work to decrease the district's drop-out rate.
Evans has been in education for 30 years. She has spent the last 6 years in her current position.
The hiring process was relatively quick because the Burlington School Board chose to post the position, internally, as opposed to conducting a regional or national search.
Evans sought the superintendent post several years ago. She was a finalist in the search process that led the district to hire Dr. Morrison in 2007.
Evans and the district have agreed on a two-year contract. She will be paid $140,000 plus benefits, during the first year.