By Christopher Haraden

Hull High School’s former assistant principal, who stopped reporting to work in early May and resigned on June 12, has been hired as the assistant principal at Mansfield High School.

Julie Burke, now known as Julie Burke Israel, was mentioned among other hires by Mansfield Superintendent Teresa Murphy in a district newsletter on June 20.

When questioned about Burke’s absence from Hull High in May, former Superintendent Judith Kuehn asked that the public “respect her privacy” and would give no further details about the administrator’s prolonged absence. Burke Israel did not attend Hull High’s graduation, and her resignation was not discussed at the school committee’s June 24 meeting. The Times’ request to committee Chair David Twombly about why the district did not announce Burke Israel’s departure has gone unanswered.

Burke Israel was replaced by former Memorial Middle School Principal Anthony Hrivnak, whose appointment was announced in an email to school families on June 28. Burke Israel’s resignation, which created the vacancy, was not mentioned in that email, causing confusion among parents.

The Times requested a copy of Burke Israel’s resignation letter from the superintendent’s office but was refused; the newspaper filed a formal request under the state’s Public Records Law on July 9.

On July 23, Superintendent Michael Jette provided Burke Israel’s letter, in which she said she “write[s] to confirm my decision to resign from my position as assistant principal of Hull High School, effective at the close of business on June 30, 2024.” The letter is dated June 12, 2023, presumably a typographical error.

Click here to see Burke Israel’s letter of resignation

Burke Israel is the second administrator at Hull High School to resign this year, after Principal Michael Knybel resigned on May 3. Robert Shaw was hired to replace Knybel. Hrivnak, whose position at the Memorial School was eliminated by the closure of the building in June, began his new role at the high school on July 1.

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