School Superintendent Cheri Burke, a “dynamic, fast-paced leader”

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Superintendent Cheri Burke with Avery Burgess, a Grade 2 student at Kelly Lane School. Avery holds her illustration which was chosen for the district’s holiday card this past December. Burke sends a student-created card to 50 people and organizations in the Granby community every year. Submitted photo

Cheri Burke spends her weekends at hockey rinks. She is the mother of four high-level ice hockey players, ages 14 to 20. While Burke herself does not skate, she is the lynch pin in the family’s love affair with this action-packed, boisterous sport.

Weekdays find Burke in a comparatively quieter setting. She will be in her office at the Board of Education (BOE) building or visiting one of the five schools under her watch: Granby Memorial High School, Granby Memorial Middle School, Kelly Lane Primary School, Wells Road Intermediate School and Granby B.E.A.R. Transition Academy.

Burke became the Granby Public School (GPS) school superintendent on July 1, 2023. In December 2024, she received a prestigious and competitive award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

“A 2024–25 Superintendent to Watch”

NSPRA recognizes school superintendents who have fewer than five years of experience and demonstrate “dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.” In 2024, Burke was chosen as one of 25 superintendents from a pool of more than 70 applicants across the nation to receive recognition as a 2024-25 Superintendent to Watch.

Communication Plan 2024–2027

Burke’s keystone value is communication. Her detailed three-year communication plan, adopted by the BOE in December 2023, builds on the goal of establishing an open dialogue with parents as well as the broader community. Many initiatives have been accomplished; others are ongoing. A few highlights follow.

GPS’s website (granby.ct.k12.us) has undergone a user-friendly makeover. Workshops have focused on improving readability of communications for today’s audiences. A new blog, Ask the Superintendent, (askgps@granbyschools.org) encourages exchange of views and information with the person at the top. Important BOE decisions are publicized in student announcements, school newsletters and in The Granby Drummer education insert.

The Path

Burke’s career advancement spans a 30-year period. She began as a classroom teacher in Framingham, Mass. with an inclusive class consisting of third, fourth, and fifth graders. Next, she served as elementary principal of R. D. Seymour School in East Granby. She became director of student learning in Burlington and, prior to coming to Granby, she was assistant superintendent in Glastonbury.

She credits colleagues who have “tapped her on the shoulder” when new opportunities arose. She relates that she has been genuinely satisfied in each of her previous positions. She may never have taken next steps were it not for those who urged her on, saying, “You could do so much for so many more kids.”

At Home

Waiting for Burke when she returns to her East Granby home are a cat named Pepper, a golden retriever named Crosby (after Sydney Crosby, hockey player for the Pittsburg Penguins) and a goldfish who was never formally named and is simply known as Fish.

There is scant time for pastimes such as hobbies, a book club and entertaining. At the end of the day Burke is a working mom and, like all others, she juggles the perennial busy-ness of a home: the needs of children and pets, and the tasks of laundry and grocery runs. Her time is especially shortchanged because school concerts, plays, athletic events and board meetings keep her out late several nights a week. Through it all Burke tailors life to revolve around and protect her top priority: quality family time.

Meet Superintendent Burke

Observe why Granby schools are so fortunate to be led by a nationally recognized school superintendent by attending a board of education meeting, conducted at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month in the Town Hall Meeting Room.