In an effort to entice talent from out of town, the Sea to Sky School District has opted to have two assistant superintendents replace the sole outgoing person with that title.
Paul Lorette, currently serving as a director of instruction for the corridor, stepped into his new role on Jan. 22.
Chris Nicholson, who works as director of instruction for the New Westminster School District, is expected to start as the Sea to Sky’s other assistant superintendent on April 3.
Both are taking over Asst. Supt. Jody Langlois, who left early in January for a job at the Vancouver School District.
While some have wondered if a relatively small school district like the Sea to Sky needs two people to handle the job, human resources director Brenda Paul said it was a move made to attract the best talent.
“How do we right now in this very difficult recruitment and retention... how do we in education get excellent people?” said Paul.
Creating another assistant superintendent position allowed the school district to attract better candidates, she said.
Paul said it’s necessary, given that the Sea to Sky has to compete with bigger school districts that are more conveniently located in the Lower Mainland.
To keep costs in check, Paul said one executive position has been eliminated. Previously, there were two people working as directors of instruction. Now there will only be one.
She said overall, it will be more expensive to have two assistant superintendents, but the increase will be minimal.
Secretary-treasurer Shehzad Somji said the change would cost the school district roughly $20,000 extra.
There will be other big personnel changes in the Sea to Sky School District.
Somji will be leaving to join the Vancouver School District. There is currently a search underway to find a replacement secretary-treasurer.
Faizel Rawji, currently a principal at the Surrey School District, will be replacing Amy Shoup as the Sea to Sky’s head of international education.
Nolan Cox will be leaving his post as principal of Whistler Secondary to take up a job as the district principal of technology.
The teachers union voiced support for the new hires.
April Lowe, president of the Sea to Sky Teachers Association, said that educators were present for a significant portion of the hiring process.
“Our teachers in Sea to Sky understand the value in a strong and supportive management team,” wrote Lowe in an email. “We are a growing district and should expect to see growth both in management as well as in the classroom. The Sea to Sky Teachers Association welcomes our new colleagues to the corridor and look forward to working together to find more ways to increase supports in the classroom to ensure further achievements for all of our students.”
