In a closed door meeting, Superintendent Thornton let the cat (or moose) out of the bag. Just maybe he is going to Anchorage, Alaska.
I off handedly pointed out to him the superintendent’s job was open in Anchorage. He responded, “I know, people are contacting me about job openings all the time.” He then proceeded to ask me if it snowed much in Anchorage. I told him that the city is pretty close to the coast, so the city proper doesn’t get that much snow. He seemed pleased.
I also told him that my sister and her husband live in Valdez. He is pretty much an outdoor kind of guy – hunting, fishing. He could take Thornton salmon fishing, maybe hunt for moose. Thornton responded, “I like hunting.”
I suggested, whether he takes the job or not, he could still go moose hunting with my brother-in-law. If he shoots one, he could send the moose head back to Milwaukee, and we could hang the moose head, antlers and all, over the board members in the central administration auditorium. It would look good there. He thought about that.
So there you have it, some real insider information. Gregory Thornton is probably going to Anchorage to become its superintendent. If you don’t believe me, ask School Board Director Jeff Spence. He heard the whole thing.
I figure that this insider information is far more accurate than the speculative stuff you are going to get from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Every time there is an opening in any big city for a superintendent, Thornton’s name is going to be mentioned. And the speculation of whether he is even seriously considering even taking the job will probably be based upon the thinnest amount of evidence, much thinner than mine.
All I can tell you is that he is talking more and more about where he wants to take this school system over the next three or four years. He doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to pack it in and go somewhere else. But then again, it sure sounds like he would like to go moose hunting.
(Footnote: Actually Anchorage averages 69.5 inches of snowfall per year, 17 more inches than Milwaukee, but it is nowhere near the Alaskan snow capitol, Valdez, which averages 220 inches per year.)
