Superintendent Lands On Feet; Now At Tanana School To Help Them Transition

 After Sudden "Mutual Agreement" With CRSD Board, Superintendent Therese Ashton Accepts New Job At Her Old Tanana District 

School at Tanana (Tanana District Website) 

Worked At Tanana For 6 Years Prior To CRSD 

Three years into her contract with the Copper River School District – after the worst part of the pandemic – the Copper River School District and Superintendent of Schools Therese Ashton have agreed to part ways.

Details of the split, which took place at a special executive meeting on July 29th are not public. The school superintendent told the Copper River Country Journal on Saturday, August 13th, that after the breakup she had been offered a number of jobs in other school districts. 

She decided to go back to Tanana, which is about 45 minutes west of Fairbanks by small plane. Therese Ashton had worked in the Tanana School for 6 years prior to coming to the Copper Valley. Currently the school is transitioning into blending into the Yukon-Koyukuk district and away from standing on its own as a Tanana City District. Tanana is located where the Yukon and Tanana rivers meet. 

Therese Ashton said she will work in Tanana for the next nine months. On Saturday, August 13th, she was packing to go to Tanana, where housing is provided, she said. 

She and her husband, Mike, had just bought a place in Copper Center, she said, and he was renovating it. The family will continue to live in Copper Center as their home, staying close to other family members in the Copper Valley, she said. 

"I have a home here. I love the area. There are some wonderful people here." She added, "I'm fine. The worst thing about this is I won't be with my grandkids." 

Tanana District Website 

After her 9 month stint at Tanana, the former CRSD superintendent said she plans to live in the valley and be available for consultations in other districts.

She praised the CRSD staff. "The people I left are wonderful. I want to be positive for the future of CRSD. I love the area. I love the people. I enjoyed being Superintendent. I was looking forward to the future without the pandemic on our heels. I see a bright future for CRSD. That's all I can say. For me, it's all about the students and the staff."