A school administrator who got his start in Starke County will take over as head of one of the state’s wealthiest school districts in January. The Hamilton Southeastern School Board voted Tuesday to hire Dr. Allen Bourff as superintendent. He will take over that position Jan. 1. Bourff will be paid $175,000 annually through June of 2016, with automatic annual pay raises if the board deems his performance effective or highly effective. His contract is through June 30, 2018 with automatic annual extensions. Bourff’s compensation package also includes money for continuing education, incentive compensation and other benefits. View a copy of that contract here: http://www.hse.k12.in.us/resources/pdf/ADM/hr2014_Proposed_Superintendent_Contract_posted_to_website_per_notice.pdf
Bourff began his career in education as an English teacher at Knox High School in 1978. He left Knox during the 1984-85 school year to take an English teaching position in Plymouth. From there he went to North Judson-San Pierre in 1986 and served as high school assistant principal and administrative assistant until his return to Knox during the 1990-91 school year. Bourff served as Knox High School principal for a year before being promoted to superintendent. He held that job for 12 years before leaving in 2004 to take the superintendent job at Richmond. Bourff is credited with nearly doubling graduation rates there over the past eight years and improving the corporation’s ISTEP scores. The Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents named Bourff State Superintendent of the Year in 2008.
