School District 57 in Prince George in upheaval as superintendent, trustees depart
CBC
The school district in Prince George, B.C. has been rocked by upheaval, as their superintendent has been replaced and two board trustees have resigned.
School District 57 (SD57), which covers Prince George and the communities of Mackenzie, McBride, Valemount, and Hixon, serves more than 14,700 students in northern B.C.
On Friday, the district announced that superintendent Cindy Heitman had left her role and been replaced by Pam Spooner, who was previously the Indigenous assistant superintendent.
It was unclear if Heitman, who was in her role for 14 months, had been dismissed or whether she had resigned. A spokesperson for the school district refused to elaborate when contacted by CBC News.
"We would like to thank Cindy for her 28 years with School District 57, and in particular for the past two years in the superintendent role," said Rachael Weber, chairperson of the school board, in a statement.
"We remain focused on … working to ensure the district is meeting the needs of students," she added.
Heitman declined to comment about the incident when reached by phone.
The boardroom shuffle means that SD57 has had seven superintendents in seven years.
Publicly-elected school boards in B.C. are responsible for the budgets and administrative priorities of schools in their districts, with superintendents effectively acting as the district's chief executive officer and ensuring that the board's priorities are handled.
The replacement of Heitman as superintendent was followed by the resignation of two trustees, Betty Bekkering and Gillian Burnett.
In a fiery resignation letter, Burnett accused the school board of being "dysfunctional" and not understanding good governance.
The trustee said that the district's students were feeling welcomed due to "outstanding leadership" from Heitman, and that a performance evaluation would have backed her up.
"It is apparent that this board is not interested in receiving input from stakeholders, the public or the district staff," she wrote. "I cannot remain a part of a board of education that puts personal agendas before sound data and evidence."
In a statement Weber thanked Burnett and Bekkering for their service, and said a byelection would be held to fill their positions.
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