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Board bids farewell to long-service employees
There were two notable absences at the School District 5 (SD5) board meeting in Fernie on March 11 as long-service executive secretary to the secretary-treasurer Jean Skerik, and Director of Instruction/Safety Officer Doug McPhee and have retired as of February 28.
“While these positions will be filled with perfectly capable personnel, make no mistake that these two individuals are irreplaceable. They will be very missed by staff and board,” says Board Chair Frank Lento.
Corinne Burns, an administrative assistant at Mount Baker Secondary School was recently hired as the new executive assistant to secretary-treasurer, Rob Norum.
Jean Skerik, who began her career at SD5 as a childcare worker at TM Roberts Elementary School, has served in the district for 25 years. She spent the last 12 years serving as executive secretary to Rob Norum. However, Norum is not alone in missing Jean’s services.
“The board is extremely grateful to Jean for overseeing all the important details essential to the work we do; recording minutes, preparing information, organizing schedules. The list is extensive. Hers are extremely big shoes to fill,” Lento said.
The same can be said about McPhee’s shoes. According to Lento, while McPhee’s title may have been Director of Instruction/Safety Officer, the board relied on McPhee for a number of additional vital services. “Doug is extremely diverse in his abilities –a great asset in this era of cutbacks when districts are constantly trying to do more with less.”
Aside from his role as Director of Instruction and safety, McPhee was also responsible for Aboriginal Education, technology and a significant portion of the District’s yearly achievement contracts. “As a result of Doug’s retirement, we’re going to have to redefine the job description for his successor; redistribute some of those responsibilities to other administrators,” Lento noted.
McPhee began his career with SD5 in 1989 at Parkland Junior Secondary School, progressing to administration and eventually to the District Office. He became interested in Restorative Justice in 2004 when he was given the responsibility for District Suspension Meetings. Working with schools to gradually change the focus of student discipline to include and embrace restorative practices, McPhee is one of only two Provincial Restorative Justice trainers recognized by the RCMP for this region.
“The board is grateful to Doug for his many years of service. His contributions are many; from his work in restorative justice, support at the District Parents Advisory Council (DPAC) table and recent work on student traffic safety, Doug has always made students and families his top priority,” Lento said.
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