Dear Editor:
I was appalled to read that North Vancouver School District superintendent John Lewis had retired in September, but had been retained by the district on contract to, Lewis says, "allow the new board to hire a deputy superintendent who can gradually take over."
School District 44 is not a large school district. In fact, it is shrinking; 2,000 of our students go elsewhere to attend school and more leave each year. It is not a progressive school district. It has been slow to implement programs that other districts in the province, some very close by, have been offering students for years.
As such, I do not see why the transition from one superintendent to another is such a big deal. When CEO s change, it is often overnight, and the new person hired is often head-hunted for the skills and experience to allow them to take over from day one. Is this district so concerned about keeping the status quo that they must train a new person in the present mindset?
As a parent and taxpayer in the North Vancouver School District, I am questioning the sagacity of this situation, as well as the transparency and the accountability. I would advise the new school board to look very closely at this, and to search very carefully for a new superintendent who will have no alliances and a fresh outlook, so our children have better leadership to emulate. It is time the elected board not allow the bureaucrats to wag the dog.
Cynthia Bunbury
North Vancouver
