Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 27, 1990 TAG: 9004270649
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Short
Burns, who has been in Pulaski for about a year, has applied for the position of superintendent in Muscogee County, Ga. He is one of the four finalists, according to officials from the Georgia board.
Before coming to Pulaski County, Burns was superintendent in Vero Beach, Fla., for 10 years.
Burns said last week that he was considering the Georgia job because it would put him closer to his family.
"They asked lots of questions about everything - positive and negative," said Diane Dixon, president of the Pulaski County Education Association. "They asked about his leadership - if he was changing things or leaving things status quo."
Dixon said she told the three members of the Muscogee County School Board that Burns has instituted new programs.
"We talked a lot about open communication," Dixon said. "I said, `I definitely don't want you to take him.' I could've lied and said bad things about him, but I didn't have any."
She said they also discussed last year's flap about Nativity scenes, when county residents were upset at the prospect of removing them from the schools.
The controversy erupted when word got out that Burns had apprised school principals of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would make displaying the Nativity scenes illegal.
by CNB