Death shocks, saddens Valley

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough Schools Superintendent Kenneth Stephen Burnley, 69, was recovering from routine knee surgery at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage when he suddenly became ill and died early Saturday morning, leaving district administrators and others in the Valley stunned and saddened.

The public is invited to a celebration of his life at 11 a.m., Friday at Teeland Middle School.

“We went to see him Thursday and he was still recovering, but he was happy that the governor approved a lot of the projects for Mat-Su,” Erick Cordero, vice president of the school board, said Saturday morning after Acting Superintendent Deena Paramo called an emergency meeting. “He was working, thinking about work and he was sad that he couldn’t run again because it was high impact for his knees, but I said, ‘We’re just going to have to get you a bike.’”

Cordero was one of several school board members and district employees who visited the 1993 National Schools Superintendent of the Year after his double knee surgery Wednesday. None of them knew yet why or how their 69-year-old leader died.

School Board President Michael Dunleavy said his wife had the same surgery a month ago — same doctor, same hospital, same room.

“We don’t know all the facts yet,” Dunleavy said. “We’re all just trying to take it in and support the family the best we can. It’s going to be a loss not just for the state, but for the nation. He made huge impacts in Detroit, Colorado Springs, Fairbanks and here. I’ve been in education for 28 years as a principal, a teacher and as a superintendent, and I probably learned more from him this past year than I probably learned in all those years combined.”

Being the meticulous planner Burnley was known to be, he had designated before his surgery Wednesday that his second in charge, Paramo, would serve in his stead until at least July 5.

It was Paramo, MSBSD assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, who first got the call from Burnley’s wife of more than 40 years, Eileen, at about 2:30 a.m., Saturday, July 2.

District Spokeswoman Catherine Esary said the father of two wasn’t feeling well Friday night and that his wife was trying to take steps to get a doctor there.

“This is such an unfortunate turn of events,” Paramo said with tears in her eyes Saturday morning as the reality of the situation began to sink in. “When fellow Assistant Superintendent Ken Forrest and I saw him Thursday, he was in good spirits and made some jokes. But he also was a very serious, deliberate man and was always prepared. He’d laid out a plan for the district and we’re going to do the very best we can to make sure we continue on our path to making this the best school district in the state and the nation. We’re ready to do this for the kids.”

Burnley was hired July 1, 2010, after serving as the Senior Resident Fellow at the University of Michigan, where he helped develop an intervention model for struggling middle school students.

He had held the superintendent’s position at Detroit Public Schools, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Fairbanks North Star Borough School District over a 24-year period.

“We were very honored he came here,” Dunleavy said. “He was focused. He came with a complete tool kit. He won’t be easy to replace, but right now we’re just concentrating on being there for the family and district staff.”

Dunleavy said Paramo will continue as acting superintendent until the board has a chance to meet over the next week to discuss going about finding a new superintendent — or permanently promoting Paramo, if she applies for the position.

At least one district employee, Houston High School custodian Lisa Johansen, was especially stunned by the news Saturday.

Johansen, 38, was a teenager in Colorado Springs when Burnley led that school district in the 1990s.

“I remember he was very active in the schools and when he got hired here, you immediately knew his opinion,” the mother of three teens said. “When he was hired here and the district had a meeting with all the employees last year, I went up to him and told him I knew him when I was younger and now he’s the superintendent of my own children.

“It just makes you realize how quickly life can change. Having lost my own dad nine months ago, I know firsthand the heartbreak of losing your father and husband. But my dad had cancer, so at least we had some warning. My heart really goes out to his family right now. ”

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.