School Board Transition

Progress Update (June 2, 2013)

The School Board Transition Committee held its third meeting on Sunday, June 2. The Minister of Education, Hon. Clyde Jackman, briefly addressed the meeting. Ex-officio members Janet Vivian-Walsh (Deputy Minister of Education) and Ed Walsh (Assistant Deputy Minister, Primary, Elementary, Secondary) were present. The committee discussed the following subjects:

General Updates

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is working with school districts on centralizing services, purchasing, and operational matters in preparation for corporate consolidation.

The staffing committee members bringing forward recommendations to the Transition Committee are: Dr. Kirk Anderson, Dean of Education, MUN; Janet Vivian-Walsh, Deputy Minister of Education; Tina Follett, Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources Secretariat, and Lorne Wheeler, Transition Committee Chair.

Greetings from the Minister of Education

The Chair and members welcomed Education Minister Clyde Jackman to the meeting. The Minister thanked the Committee for agreeing to take on this vital work. He said their current work, and their work as the interim board come September 1, will be critical in ensuring a smooth transition in the fall. He wished them well in their deliberations, and exited the meeting.

Report of the Staffing Committee

The interview process for executive board positions will be similar to the 2004 approach. The Transition Chair will be the spokesperson for the Committee. The Department of Education is working with school districts on the draft outline of a new organizational structure for the district, which will be presented to the Transition Committee.

  • Update on interviews for CEO/Director of Education

    A number of candidates were interviewed for the position of CEO/Director of Education. The Staffing Committee’s recommendation to the Transition Committee, and the process and rationale for the selection were discussed. The recommendation that Darrin Pike be appointed was approved.

  • Recruitment of Other Staff

    Advertisements for Associate Director of Education and Assistant Directors (Programs) were posted.

    The proposed structure for the new school district is: a CEO/Director of Education (Mr. Pike); an Associate Director of Education; an Assistant Director – Finance and Administration; an Assistant Director – Human Resources; an Assistant Director- Operations; and an additional four Assistant Directors – Programs for each of the regions (St. John’s, Gander, Corner Brook and Happy Valley-Goose Bay). The Committee will be advised of information related to the senior staff interviews.

Other Business

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and school districts are preparing for September, and a number of issues were discussed with the Transition Committee:

  • Position descriptions have been prepared the CEO, Associate Director, and Assistant Director positions.
  • Directors and Assistant Directors were provided with information regarding benefits associated with position elimination and severance. Program specialists were given their redundancy notices in accordance with the NLTA Collective Agreement.
  • Regional plans for school readiness, including busing, will continue as in previous years.
  • One provincial school calendar will be used for all regions when the new district is formally established in September
  • It was noted that files and assets at the current satellite offices, which are to close, must be secured.
  • Regular meetings are taking place with the current school district directors to ensure that schedules and timeframes are understood.
  • A new website, for the new school board/district, will be online for September.
  • The headquarters for the new provincial school district will be the current Eastern School District site, until a permanent location has been established. Regional offices will remain at current district sites in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Corner Brook and Gander