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SD5 board hires new temporary superintendent
School District 5 (SD5) Board of Education is pleased to announce the hiring of Bendina Miller as the new superintendent for the district.
This follows the resignation of former Superintendent Bill Gook earlier this summer. According to board chair Frank Lento the timing of the resignation was somewhat problematic given that districts typically want to post for this type of position in the spring to allow enough time to seek out qualified applicants.
“We had a narrow window to post over the summer and did not receive any applicants who met our criteria for a new superintendent,” explained Lento. “However, we were being assisted in the hiring process by Bendina Miller, the former SD6 Superintendent, and thankfully she has agreed to take on the position for one year to give us more time to seek out a new leader for the district.”
Lento points out that having Miller join SD5 will be helpful beyond assisting in hiring.
“I’ve known Bendina for a number of years, and she’s always been considered a top tier educator in the province,” said Lento. “In particular, her leadership experience as president of the Canadian Association for Community Living and her work as chair of committees on inclusive education and the rights of persons with disabilities will be a huge asset to the board’s current work toward improving special education within the district.”
According to Lento, Miller is also a consultant for the BC Ministry of Education’s 21st Century Learning and Special Education and has been contracted by the Ministry to prepare a draft report on The Future of Special Education in BC.
“We would have loved to offer Bendina a longer contract, but we’re thrilled to have her leadership for any length of time,” says Lento. “To say that the Board is fully behind this decision would be an understatement.”
Miller says she is excited to come and provide leadership for the district at this time.
“I retired from SD6 due to my husband’s health in 2010 and it was the right decision for me at the time,” says Miller, “but I’ve been asked to help SD5 as they review their leadership needs and in their search for a new superintendent. The timing was right for me to say yes, and I’m looking forward to getting down to work.”
Miller’s first day of work as Superintendent will be Monday, August 20.
