PRINCE ALBERT — The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division is returning its board chair and vice chair.
At the organizational meeting on Monday, the Board elected acclaimed Darlene Rowden as board chair and Alan Nunn as vice-chair for the 2023-24 year.
After Director of Education Neil Finch called the meeting to order, Rowden was nominated by Arne Lindberg with no other nominations. She was acclaimed as board chair and nominations ceased. Rowden thanked the board for the vote of confidence.
“It was a learning year,” Rowden said. “It was right into the fire, hiring a new director and we got through that.
“It was never scary or anything because the board is a team. It's really solid.”
Rowden said she leaned on former board chair Barry Hollick during her first year in the position, which helped smooth the transition. Rowden also thanked the administration and staff at the Education Centre, including current director Finch and former director of education Robert Bratvold.
“This is a solid team,” Rowden said. “It was a good year and I look forward to this next year.”
When Rowden opened nominations, Nunn was nominated as vice-chair by trustee Bill Yeaman. There were no other nominations and Nunn was acclaimed.
Nunn echoed what Rowden said about the board and administration.
“It's a different little piece doing this, so I think I did some of that advancement knowing what we need to do,” Nunn said.
Nunn was previously employed as a superintendent of schools in the division before being elected in 2021.
In a release from the division, both Rowden and Nunn expressed appreciation for the confidence the trustees placed in them and committed themselves to working for the best interests of SRPSD students.
“It is an honour to serve the students, families and electors as Board Chair. I look forward to continuing to work with our trustees and Administrative Council.” Rowden said.
“It is a privilege to work as Vice-Chair with this group of trustees who are committed to strong governance to provide excellence for our students,” Nunn said.
Trustees are engaged in board-related tasks on an ongoing basis, but they meet formally at least one Monday each month for a Regular Board meeting. The public is welcome to attend the meetings that begin at a new time of 3:30 p.m.
Following the elections, the board dealt with such items as school clusters, deputy chair rotation and appointments of such things as auditor and solicitor.
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