Nelson school trustee Curtis Bendig will leave the Kootenay Lake board of education at the end of the month to return to teaching.
The board accepted his resignation, effective May 31, at its meeting Tuesday.
“It has been a tremendous honour to serve as a member of the board and to work with you on behalf on all of the students and communities of School District 8,” he wrote.
“It is my intent to pursue a career as teacher, including making application to become a teacher on call in SD8, and I wish to remove myself from a position of real or perceived conflict of interest.”
Bendig, 33, was first elected to the board in 2014 as one of its two Nelson representatives. Because there are only six months left before the next general election, no by-election will be required to replace him.
In an interview, Bendig explained that he already holds a Bachelor of Education and has taught in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and overseas, but hasn’t been at the helm of a classroom in the Kootenays.
He said he was inspired to return to the profession after taking part in several student symposiums.
“I left feeling energized. It made me realize I want to spend more time with students. I am inspired by the work that is happening and would relish the opportunity to take part in it on a front line level.”
However, school district employees can’t serve as trustees. Bendig said while he would like to complete his term, in order to go through the district’s hiring process and be able to teach starting in the fall he has to leave now.
Bendig said a highlight of his time on the board was the recent decision to add student trustees beginning in the 2018-19 school year, something he pushed for. He said was proud to “bring that student voice into the conversation.”
Another highlight he cited was the district’s facilities plan, which laid out the closure and consolidation of several schools, including Trafalgar. Bendig said it will provide stability for area schools, although he acknowledges it was controversial and a “tremendous amount of work.”
He encouraged anyone who is “passionate about education and their community” to consider running for trustee in the fall.
“I am 100 per cent open to sitting down with them and sharing my experiences with them if they want to take that step,” he said. “It is important work. Anyone can do it but a diversity of voices is important on the board. It makes public education work better when you have people from all walks of life.”
Bendig said being a trustee was alternately fun, frustrating, and hard, “but overall an experience I don’t regret and wouldn’t take back.”
