Greater Victoria School District superintendant John Gaiptman woke up a few days ago, thought it was time to retire, and did.
The decision was announced Tuesday night, just five days after he said he was struck with the idea.
“The first time it came into my head, I knew I had to act upon it immediately,” Gaiptman said.
Gaiptman, 57, says he does not have another job lined up, is not leaving for personal or health reasons, was not influenced by recent labour issues or a court decision on class sizes — and was not pushed.
He leaves his post in two weeks, on Feb. 14, when deputy superintendent Sherri Bell will take over on an interim basis.
“I love what I do and I have always loved what I do but you also have to know when it’s time to move on that’s what I chose to do,” Gaiptman said.
“It’s not the calendar that tells you when to leave — you know when to leave.”
Gaiptman said he thought about retiring Thursday and by that evening told the district’s board chairwoman. He was asked to think about it another day, and did, but his mind remained unchanged.
“It was a day like any other,” said Gaiptman, who is married and has two grown daughters. The decision took his family by surpise, he said.
Gaiptman joined the District in 1993. He was principal of Lambrick Park Secondary School for five years, and spent four years at the school board office before becoming superintendent in 2002.
He has overseen the implementation of middle schools and several school closures due to declining enrolment. In 2012-13, the district posted its highest graduation rate in history, surpassing the provincial average and topping all districts on Vancouver Island. The rate climbed nearly seven percentage points to 84.5 per cent in 2012-13, provincial statistics showed.
Gaiptman has attributed the district’s steady improvement in recent years to a number of factors, including the decision several to reorganize schools into three groupings: primary (kindergarten to Grade 5), middle (Grades 6 to 8) and high school (Grades 9 to 12).
Peg Orcherton, chairwoman of the Greater Victoria school board, said Gaiptman’s passion for education will be missed.
“He has been a motivator, a communicator and a strong advocate for students and public education,” she said, in a release. “He was tireless in his support for the music programs.”
Gaiptman said he hopes to continue working with schools, reminiscing about days when he would grab a book, head to a class and read to students.
Something is missing, he said, when you’re too far away to be able to pop into a classroom and connect with students, he said.
“My heart and passion is with the schools,” he said.
