Anchorage School Superintendent Deena Bishop announced today she will retire from the school district effective June 30, 2022.
She wrote to staff in the district: “I am reaching out today, as I want you to hear from me first, that I have made the decision to finish my six-year tenure in ASD effective June 30, 2022. (Soon this might make the news.)”
She continued, “It truly has been a fantastic opportunity for me and a highlight of my educational career to work with the amazing people in ASD. Thank you all for welcoming me into your schools, classrooms, and offices! My best days have been spent in schools where I have said often, the “gimba” happens. Schools should be a district’s gimba as that is where the real work and value are added to our mission with children.
“Over the years, we have faced unexpected obstacles and tough decisions. A quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt articulates our journey – ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’ Whether the conditions have presented us with good things or trying conditions, ASD, I am so proud of the work you have accomplished. We have moved through both the best and most taxing of times!,” she wrote.
I have truly loved watching student learning happen, listening to our outstanding musicians, cheering for our teams, observing your lessons, and hearing about the successes and quick wins you have shared in the work,” Bishop wrote.
Bishop was the superintendent of the Mat-Su Borough School District from 2011-2016, when she was named Anchorage superintendent. After college, she taught in the Copper River School District, taught middle school for the Mat-Su Borough School District in 1993, and was assistant principal of Colony High School. She became assistant superintendent of instruction in 2007 for the Mat-Su Borough School District. This year she applied to become the chancellor of University of Alaska Anchorage, a job that was subsequently awarded to former Gov. Sean Parnell by Interim University of Alaska President Pat Pitney.
“I look forward to finishing this school year strong and working with the School Board to transition a new superintendent. Thank you again for all you have done and continue to do for the young people in our community,” she wrote.
