A successor to superintendent Tom Grant has been named with the appointment of assistant superintendent Patricia Gartland to School District 43's top leadership position.
Grant is expected to work until mid-January, with Gartland then expected to take over the job of superintendent, leaving a vacancy in her role as assistant superintendent and head of SD43's lucrative international education program.
Board chair Melissa Hyndes said a reorganization of SD43's district leadership team will be worked out and she congratulated Gartland for winning the job out of 25 candidates who applied, including applicants from SD43 and as far away as Alberta.
"She's an exceptional education leader, she has 30 plus years in our school district, she knows every aspect of the system. She has all the things we were looking for," Hyndes said.
Another change occurred recently in the board office with the departure of Sylvie Russell to the post of superintendent in the Maple Ridge school district.
"There might be some temporary replacement to fill in for Sylvia, it's too early to say. We're trying to figure out what the next steps are," Hyndes said, acknowledging that Gartland will want a team "she feels will be cohesive and keep the school district together and bring us forward."
