To the editor,
Re: New superintendent announced for Nanaimo school district, March 7
It is disappointing, if not surprising, to see that the ‘old boys club’ is very much alive and well on the SD68 board of education. The recent appointment of the new superintendent is clear evidence of that.
Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools have experienced a few years of stability and positive relationships under superintendent John Blain’s leadership, and many hoped that we would see a shift to build on that foundation moving to a focus on learning and modernized practice in alignment with the changes in curriculum, assessment and reporting, and inclusive/equitable education happening provincially. Many hoped that we would finally see education evolve in Nanaimo in a meaningful and appropriate way, and that perhaps reports on the superintendent in local news outlets would be less focused on facilities and budgets and more on students, and learning for once.
Anyone who follows the activities of the SD68 board of education knows that certain trustees are focused on the ‘business’ aspects of the organization. The recent choice of Scott Saywell as the next superintendent was a predictable, and disappointing continuation of this focus on ‘business.’ Sadly, students and staff in Nanaimo will suffer for this misguided focus on budgets and buildings. Education is far more than that, and we need a superintendent with a broader perspective and more expansive experience than the one we have ended up with.
T. Teller, Nanaimo
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