Alison Sidow, School District No. 73 Superintendent of Schools, has announced her plan to retire effective Aug. 31, 2020.
Superintendent since 2016, Sidow’s career in education has spanned 30 years and includes positions with the provincial government as Superintendent of Achievement as well as Superintendent of School District No. 74 Gold Trail.
Sidow began her teaching career in the Bulkley Valley and spent several years teaching at an international school in India with her family. She joined the Kamloops-Thompson District in 2012 as the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.
During her early tenure as superintendent, Sidow was tasked to develop and implement a five-year strategic plan that focused on connecting students to their future. Her greatest achievement was reaching a 90 per cent graduation rate for students and closing in on parity for Indigenous students.
“We have been impressed by the direction Superintendent Sidow has set for SD73. Our district is recognized throughout the province for its innovation in the sector both for how we deliver education and in how we respond to crisis,” said Kathleen Karpuk, SD73 Board of Education Chair, referring to the Parkcrest Elementary School fire and more recently, COVID-19.
In announcing her retirement to the Board of Education on May 25, Superintendent Sidow took the opportunity to thank the Board and the District’s senior leadership team for their support over the last several years as she led the district in improving successful school completion rates for all learners, receiving $34 million to expand Valleyview Secondary, addressing employee engagement, and improving accountability and transparency throughout the district.
“It’s a tribute to Superintendent Sidow’s focus and energy that our Indigenous learners are so close to achieving parity with all learners, a result of honouring the first people’s principles of learning and embedding Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives into the strategic plan,” said Karpuk.
Sidow also noted that she is confident that she has been able to deliver on the commitment she made to the Board of Education in 2018 to enhance communications and community relations to reinforce public trust in SD73 and she is now looking forward to the next chapter of her life.
