After two years as chair, SD73 Trustee Wade won’t continue

“His retirement is now public from the organization,” said Wade. “It came down to a decision of, I still had things that I wanted to see the Board of Education accomplish with our strategic plan and with capital funding, but taking the chair’s position is very time-consuming.”

The chair is tasked with many responsibilities, says Wade, beyond that of a regular trustee.

“There is a significant time commitment that’s attached. You are the main contact between senior staff, between the public,” said Wade.

“In the past two years, I’ve been on family holidays and I’ve put extra packages on my phone so that I can be reached. I moved my daughter to Hinton, Alta. for her first engineering job and I spent three hours on the first Monday as we’re there trying to unpack her, doing work as the board chair.”

Wade took the chair’s position in December of 2016, ousting five-year chair Denise Harper, who had hoped to retain the position.

There have been rumours of further friction among board members in the ensuing two years, but Wade says that’s not the case, and dischord has nothing to do with her decision not to seek re-election as chair.

“No it does not. I don’t confirm friction or rifts. We’ve done great work over four years, and if there were huge problems, we wouldn’t have been able to do that,” said Wade. “This has to do with a lifestyle choice for my husband and myself.”

Wade notes she is not aware of who her successor might be, but will support that trustee when he or she is chosen at the board’s inaugural meeting next week.

“I have not heard officially of anybody who’s running. I think that’s a matter for the board to decide when we do on (November 5) for the inaugural swearing-in and then the vote in for our chair and vice-chair. I know when the time comes, whoever the new chair is, I will provide whatever advice that I can and assistance that I can.”

by James Peters

After two years as chair, SD73 Trustee Wade won’t continue

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