Image provided by Kamloops-Thompson School District

By Dylana Kneeshaw

school district 73

Interim Superintendent and Secretary-Treasurer chosen for Kamloops-Thompson School District

Jul 7, 2025 | 3:52 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops-Thompson School Board has appointed an interim Superintendent following the sudden departure of former Superintendent Rhonda Nixon last week.

Nixon’s resignation was announced last week, and her final day with the District was Friday (July 4).

Shortly after the move was announced, CUPE 3500 sent a notice to its membership citing an allegation of bullying in a grievance filed back in February as one of the reasons for Nixon’s exit.

In a news release emailed Monday (July 7), the SD 73 Board of Education said it reached an agreement with McKay to fill the role until Dec. 31, 2025. The Board aims to have a new permanent Superintendent in place by then.

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“Mr. McKay brings extensive leadership experience and a steady, collaborative approach that will help guide the district through this transitional period,” Board Chair Heather Grieve said, in a statement.

SD73 also announced Harold Cull will serve as interim Secretary-Treasurer, for the same duration as McKay. Cull was appointed by the Board in April.

“Mr. Cull has been working with the Kamloops-Thompson School District throughout the 2025-2026 Budget development process,” Chelsea Isenor, the SD73 Director of Communications and Board Administration, told CFJC in an April statement. “Mr. Cull is stepping in as Interim Secretary-Treasurer while Acting Secretary-Treasurer Robbie Tallon is away on vacation.”

Tallon, the Director of Finance, stepped into the role after Trina Cassidy was let go fall in the wake of a $2-million accounting error that led to a number of other cuts and cost saving measures.

Both McKay and Cull have served with school districts outside of the Interior – McKay as a Superintendent in Saanich and Surrey, and Cull as Secretary-Treasurer for the Sooke School District.

With the interim positions now in place, the board states that recruitment for both the Superintendent and Secretary-Treasurer postings will pick back up in the fall.