SD73 Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education Inaugural Board Meeting

Posted On Tuesday November 07, 2023

On Monday, November 6, 2023, the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education elected the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, British Columbia School Trustees' Association Provincial Council, and British Columbia Public School Employers' Association representative for the Board for 2023-2024. The results of the election are as follows:

Board Chair – Heather Grieve

Board Chair Grieve said, “I am honoured to be elected as Chair of the Board for 2023-2024. I have been privileged to sit alongside trustees as we engaged in co-developing the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, reconfiguring the North Shore, reopening Ralph Bell, and soon, reopening two schools. I look forward to a productive year, and I will do my best to represent the interests of our community and decisions of the Board through my role as Board Chair.”

Heather has served in the role of Board Chair for the last two years, starting in November 2021 for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Last evening, the Board elected her to continue in the role as Board Chair for 2023-2024. Ms. Grieve is also the Chair of the Regular Public Board Meeting and meets with the Vice Chair of the Board, Superintendent, Secretary-Treasurer, and Director of Communications and Board Administration to review and confirm the agenda for these meetings and to review requests to present and correspondence.

Heather was elected as one of five trustees representing Kamloops, and she is serving in her second term on the Board of Education. Currently, Heather is the Board liaison to the Westsyde family of schools which includes: Arthur Stevenson Elementary, David Thompson Elementary, Pinantan Elementary, Westmount Elementary, Westsyde Secondary, Westsyde Elementary, School Board Office, and Transportation. She represents the Board as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and the Audit Committee, Education Committee of the Whole, and trustee representative on the Pineview Valley Community Engagement Committee, and Accessibility Committee. Board Chair Grieve participates in recruitment of senior staff and principals and vice principals, and she serves as the media representative for the Board. Ms. Grieve has been instrumental in planning and reviewing board agendas bi-weekly, suggesting responses to requests to present or correspondence to the Board, and to planning board workshops and professional development.

Heather has met with the Minister of Education and Child Care and other provincial representatives on behalf of the board, and attended provincial advocacy meetings with provincial politicians and partners. In December 2021, Heather articulated the needs of school districts in the public consultation held by the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. Provincially, she is serving as a member of the BCSTA Comprehensive School Health Working Group. She participated as a panel speaker in 2021 to share the importance of student voice in advising Board decisions, and she was also spokesperson and presenter at the November 2022 BCSTA Fall Conference.

Vice Chair – Rhonda Kershaw

Vice Chair Rhonda Kershaw shared, “I am honoured to be Vice Chair of the Board for 2023-2024. In this role, I will continue to serve by bringing my historical knowledge to the table to provide context and to support strategic direction that will move the Board’s priorities forward. I have always appreciated community input and engagement, and I look forward to leading alongside parents and community partners to achieve the best outcomes for our students.”

Rhonda is in her fourth term as a trustee and has served in the roles of trustee, Chair of the Board and Vice Chair of the Board. The Board elected Ms. Kershaw to be Vice Chair in November 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, and they have elected her to be Vice Chair for 2023-2024. Representing Barriere, Rhonda serves as the Board liaison for Twin Rivers Education Centre, Barriere Elementary, Barriere Secondary, Henry Grube Education Centre, and Maintenance Department. 

Rhonda also serves in roles of Chair of the Sun Peaks Committee, Vice-Chair of the Audit Committee, alternate on the Finance and Planning Committee, and trustee representative of the Legacy Grant Committee. She is the Chair of the In-Camera Board Meetings and sets the agenda for these meetings biweekly with the Board Chair, Superintendent, Secretary Treasurer, and Director of Communications and Board Administration.

Ms. Kershaw participates in the recruitment of senior district roles, principals, and vice principals, and she has served as a trustee representative on all committees in her four terms. She is a collaborative partner in review and revisions of board agendas biweekly, correspondence, and planning board workshops, MLA meetings, TRU Partnership meetings, and City of Kamloops meetings. She has a longstanding history and comprehensive understanding of the Board’s advocacy priorities and capital needs, supporting responses to requests to present and correspondence, and to planning and implementing Board professional development.

British Columbia School Trustees' Association Provincial Council – Trustee, Kathleen Karpuk

Trustee Karpuk stated, “I look forward to continuing to serve the Board in this capacity and to ensure that we continue to advance the advocacy strategies that will support all students provincially, while also informing the Council of the needs of the Interior, including our District.”

Trustee Kathleen Karpuk has been the elected Board representative on the British Columbia School Trustees' Association Provincial Council. Last evening, the Board elected Trustee Karpuk to be the representative for 2023-2024. Kathleen will attend meetings throughout the year, including standing committee meetings. Kathleen will learn firsthand the needs of boards provincially, provincial advocacy directions, and potential annual general meeting motions, and she will bring back this information to the Board of Trustees.

BCSTA’s Provincial Council was established in 1987. It was formed to ensure that the interests of all boards are represented in the governance of BCSTA and to facilitate an ongoing dialogue around issues facing the association and its member boards across the province.

British Columbia Public School Employers' Association – Trustee Cole Hickson

Trustee Hickson shared, “I am grateful to have learned so much this past year in my first year of my first term as a trustee. While this has been a year of learning, I recently attended the BCPSEA Conference and really enjoyed gaining an in-depth understanding of the employee groups’ needs provincially and some primary issues that we are navigating provincially.”

The trustee who takes on this role acts as a liaison and communications conduit between Boards of Education and BCPSEA on human resources matters, including distribution of BCPSEA communications to board members while ensuring their Board’s voice is heard by BCPSEA.

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