Mike St. John (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

SD73 Leadership

St. John to officially take over as SD73 superintendent Feb. 2

Jan 27, 2026 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Thompson School District is set to welcome its third superintendent in less than a year next week with Mike St. John officially taking over the top role in Kamloops. He follows outgoing Superintendent Mike McKay, who was brought in to serve in a interim capacity after Rhonda Nixon suddenly left the district last summer due to personal reasons.

McKay was brought into the district to help steady the ship and bridge the gap to the next permanent superintendent of schools last July.

“What’s best for kids… if we are guided by that everyday it changes how we approach some issues,” said McKay Tuesday (Jan. 27). “It’s not just the application of a policy or the application of a rule, or bureaucratic decision, it’s how can we do this as well as we can.”

Friday (Jan. 30) will be McKay’s final day in charge as he passes the torch to begin the month of February.

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“To have the leadership in mentorship that Mike (McKay) has imparted on me and has really instilled the culture of care at the board office… from there it filters into the system,” said St. John, who recently arrived in Kamloops.

The work is never done, the box is never checked — a sentiment shared between the two men.

“We are never there in public education. The number of challenges, the number of opportunities, the amount of funding and the complexities of this public system that says we are going to help every child learn,” said McKay. “And every child learning is not a formula. It’s not a cookie cutter, because the kids aren’t cookie-cutter kids.”

“But along with being positively relentless, we need to be relentlessly positive, as well. Hope is important. Hope is currency in education,” added St. John. 

St. John officially takes over as superintendent as of Monday, Feb. 2, saying he will begin with what he calls a “listening tour” around the district.

“Sweeping changes are not part of it. It’s going to be, ‘What is the narrative we are going to establish together to move our entire system forward? To improve kids’ life chances,’ as I quote my mentor (McKay),” said St. John.