School District 27 will be losing an important voice in the next few months.
During a meeting for the School District, Superintendent Chris van der Mark told the Board of Education about his retirement.
In a release, the announcement was made on November 28th, where van der Mark said his intent was to retire at the end of the current school year.
The School District added that while they’re happy with the progress made with van der Mark’s leadership, they still have work to do when focusing on key strategic areas such as Indigenous language and culture, instructional capacity, and more.
School District Chair, Ciel Patenaude said “some of the change has been profound, none more so than the renewed focus on teaching and learning, which we frequently about from staff through their engagement and its impact on their practice.”
They said that Deputy Superintendent, Cheryl Lenardon has already taken on some of the components of the Superintendents duties, and will take over the roll on August 1st, 2024.
Van der Mark joined the School District in April of 2019, after difficulties that resulted in a Special Advisor and the need for changes in the school district.
For more information, and the full School District 27 release can be found on their website here.