District hires new superintendent

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Bill Crandall, former assistant principal of Two Harbors High School, will be taking the helm as superintendent this year. Submitted photo.

Talk about it

For many in Two Harbors, the new superintendent of the Lake Superior School District will be a familiar face. Bill Crandall, former assistant principal of Two Harbors High School, will be taking the helm this year.

Interim Superintendent Shawn Northey said that the School Board was looking for someone who understood the “burning educational issues” facing the district, and Crandall fit the bill.

“We were also looking for someone who understands the history of the district,” Northey said.

Shawn Northey will finish his term as interim superintendent on August 1, so he’s busy making sure the transition will be smooth.

“We’re spending the next day or two in meetings, making sure we continue to move the district forward,” Northey said.

Crandall started teaching in Duluth, but his first administrative position was the assistant principal job in Two Harbors, which he held for seven years.

After his time in Two Harbors, he worked as a principal at Barnum High School for one year. He worked for the Duluth School District for six years, first as a principal overseeing the teaching component of residential and day treatment programs, and then as a principal for the Duluth Area Learning Center. In total, he has 22 years of experience in education.

Crandall said he brings strong communications skills to the position.

“I want to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard and that I hear all sides of issues,” he said.

He said his experience working in the district will also help him, since he won’t have to build relationships from scratch.

“I’ll be re-kindling past relationships,” Crandall said. He’ll be working with many of the people he worked with as assistant principal seven years ago.

He identified balancing the budget and maintaining academic standards and high test scores as key issues for the district.

“We need to get the budget in a more stable position so we’re not deficit spending,” Crandall said.

Crandall lives in Duluth and has two children, a daughter who attends the University of St. Thomas and a son who attends Duluth East High School. But he’s looking forward to working in Two Harbors again.

“I’m very excited to be back and working with a great staff,” he said

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