The top administrator for the Southeast Kootenay School District 5 is retiring at the end of June.
Lynn Hauptman, who has served as the superintendent of SD5 since 2013, came to the area after serving in the same capacity for the Prince Rupert School District. However, she was a familiar face to the East Kootenay region, having worked in Kimberley in the neighbouring Rocky Mountain School District 6.
Frank Lento, the chair of the SD5 Board of Education, said Hauptman’s advocacy for needed school replacements was appreciated by the board.
“Lynn was a natural choice for us at the time”, said Lento, in a press release. “It’s well known that the Board has been advocating for the replacement of Mount Baker Secondary School since 2009, and Lynn had been the site manager/principal responsible for the completion and smooth transition of students in 2002 to the newly built McKim Middle School.”
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Lento also praised Hauptman’s focus on student achievement over the course of her tenure.
“Lynn nourished a strong culture of inquiry-based teaching and learning that encouraged positive, inclusive, safe and caring classrooms and improved learning outcomes for the students in our District,” Lento said.
During her tenure, graduations rates were consistently above the provincial average and the District’s Indigenous graduation rates reached parity with non-Indigenous students.
“Our Board is very appreciative of Lynn’s leadership over the past five years, and we wish her the very best in her retirement,” said Lento. “She leaves the field of education with a great legacy of achievement.”
Hauptman currently lives in Kimberley with her husband Glenn and have raised three grown children, one of which is pursing a teaching degree and plans to be a kindergarten teacher.
Hauptman’s retirement is the second recent high-profile departure of SD5 administrative staff. Former Secreatary-Treasurer Rob Norum recently announced his retirement earlier this year and was replaced by Alan Rice in April.
The SD5 board will be hiring a consultant to help search for a superintendent replacement.
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