Both old and new faces will lead school boards in the capital region in 2015, following votes by trustees elected in November.
Maintaining their seats at the head of the board table are Wendy Hobbs in the Sooke school district and May McKenzie in the Gulf Islands. Newcomers are Edith Loring-Kuhanga in the Greater Victoria district and Victoria Martin in Saanich.
Chairpeople are in place for one-year terms.
McKenzie is far-and-away the longest-serving board chairperson in the region, entering her 18th straight year at the helm. Hobbs is starting her fifth year.
“Hopefully we’ll hit the ground running after everybody has a nice Christmas break,” said McKenzie, a Mayne Island resident. The Gulf Islands district includes five islands and 11 schools.
Like many of their colleagues around B.C., Gulf Islands trustees are still working to put this year’s teachers’ strike completely in the past, May said.
“What we’re going to put our focus on into the new year … is just working on rebuilding our relationships, particularly with the teachers so that they feel valued again.”
She said the board will also be part of a wider effort on behalf of principals and vice-principals.
“We’re going to work at the provincial level to try to get the government to lift the freeze on their wages,” McKenzie said. “It becomes an issue of building capacity, as well. Who’s going to want the job if they don’t get a raise once in a while?”
Hobbs returns to the role of chairwoman for a largely incumbent board. The sole newcomer is 19-year-old Ravi Parmar.
“Our big issue right now is, of course, the excitement of the two new schools opening up in 2015, which also brings about our new grade configuration,” Hobbs said.
Royal Bay Secondary and a new Belmont Secondary are scheduled to open in September 2015. Hobbs said about 5,000 students will be heading to new schools next September, including the new high schools, and the grade configuration of kindergarten-Grade 5 in elementary, grades 6-8 in middle and 9-12 in secondary will be made uniform throughout the district.
“That is our big goal now, through the next eight months.”
Saanich’s Victoria Martin, who was active in parents’ groups for a number of years, was elected chairwoman as a rookie trustee. “It’s my first term and I’m stepping into very large shoes,” said Martin, who replaced chairman Wayne Hunter, a long-time teacher and administrator with the board.
Martin said the Saanich board’s direction will likely start to take shape in January. “I suspect that’s where the trustees and I will kind of lay out what the work is ahead. We’ll have a much greater sense then.”
Loring-Kuhanga steps into the leadership of a nine-person board in Greater Victoria that has five people — including her — who ran under a single banner in November’s election, giving them a majority. The slate was endorsed by the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association. Loring-Kuhanga said her aim is to bring all trustees together and to have “an openness and transparency” in board activities.
“I said in my opening speech ‘what I know, you will know’ to the trustees.”
Loring-Kuhanga said she is committed to having a strategic plan for the district, something she said is essential for a district of Greater Victoria’s size.
The district also has a high school to unveil in September, when a new Oak Bay Secondary will be set to welcome students.
