After a controversial end to the school year, Coast Mountains School District superintendent Katherine McIntosh will be taking a temporary assignment with the Ministry of Education until 2020.
McIntosh will start her new role on Sept. 1 to “support and work provincially on the implementation of the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning,” according to a Board of Education press release on Aug. 2.
“Katherine will focus on supporting school districts to improve student outcomes, while acting as a liaison between the Ministry of Education and the education sector,” writes Shar McCrory, board chair.
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The provincial framework would create a system-wide focus on student learning, identifying differences in performance among particular groups of students, particularly Indigenous students, children in care and students with special needs. It would also include evidence-based strategies for improvement that are measurable and outcome-focused, according to the ministry’s website.
The Board of Education extended the appointment of Janet Meyer, the school district’s director of human resources, as acting superintendent until Aug. 31, 2020.
“The Board of Education values Katherine’s vision and leadership over the past five years and her innovative approach and successful contributions to public education in Coast Mountains School District,” McCrory writes. “Under her leadership, the district has seen innovative practices of how education is delivered to students and is a testament to the amazing work of all district employees. The marked increase in district graduation rates for all students, in particular for our Indigenous students, is a reflection of Katherine’s dedication to student success.”
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The announcement follows news of McIntosh’s leave of absence earlier this month, the one-year transition plan of three popular administrators after numerous protests denouncing their reassignments to teaching positions, and a 99 per cent vote of non-confidence by the Coast Mountain Teachers’ Federation in June.
The Ministry of Education will be funding McIntosh’s new position. Despite the non-confidence vote, a Ministry spokesperson says McIntosh was hired because of her “proven track record of improving student success.”
“Secondment arrangements benefit students by providing the Ministry with on-the-ground educational leadership experience that may not otherwise be available to the B.C. Public Service,” wrote a spokesperson in an email to the Terrace Standard. “The secondment has been well received in the education sector, including by the Haisla First Nation.”
The Ministry would not confirm whether McIntosh will be leaving Terrace for the position. The Ministry says secondment appointments are typically one to two years in duration.
brittany@terracestandard.com
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