Justin Burns has been confirmed as the next superintendent by the St. Clair County Board of education. At the regularly scheduled meeting on June 28, the board passed a resolution to approve Burns in the new position.

Board president Scott Suttle said he’s very happy to have the position filled, especially before the new school year begins. Burns will officially begin on June 29.

“There was a lot of uncertainty in the uncertainty, and school is barely over a month away. We need that stability, we need someone here to make sure things are running right,” said Suttle.

Before accepting the new role, Burns was the principal at Leeds Elementary for six years. He said because of his time there, he loves being around kids and is looking forward to continuing that dedication to students as superintendent.

“I know that being superintendent is about the kids, it’s a different level, but it’s about the kids,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the different kids on campuses and helping them and their community reach the goals they’ve been setting.”

Burns said he was most looking forward to being a part of a great team that is already in place. Currently, Burns lives in Moody and he’s looking excited to further his community and help in a bigger way.

“I’ve been in St. Clair County, it’s my home. I go to church at Bethel Baptist Church, and I already know there are some wonderful people in this room that I’m looking forward to working with,” said Burns.

Burns said during this time of switching from one superintendent to the next, he feels confident that the people who are already in place with the board of education will allow it to remain stable. He’s hoping to spend a lot of the next few months building working relationships with his peers.

“I’m not just coming in here to make crazy changes, I’m coming in here to pull alongside and see what we’re already doing and how we can do it better,” said Burns.

He said he loves the community aspect of St. Clair County the most and he’s looking forward to asking the questions that will further the community.

“I want them to know I believe in having community schools that are a part of our community and we listen and we want our community to be a part of our schools,” said Burns.