Change is coming to the composition of the Living Sky School Division board next term.
There will be five brand-new trustees on the 10-member board after the election - a turnover of half the trustees - following the election on Nov. 9.
Two of those five new trustees will be determined on Election Day, with just two subdivisions in Living Sky School Division scheduled to go to the polls.
Subdivision 2, representing Hafford and Maymont, has two nominated candidates on the ballot for the open school trustee position: Jean Breton and Mary Linnell.
Subdivision 3, representing Wilkie, Scott colony and Cando, required a second call for nominations to fill another open position. Three candidates have come forward: Peter Frey, E. Jon Sloan and Nicole Kobelsky.
The rest of the school division is not going to the polls, with the following candidates already elected by acclamation: Ken Arsenault in subdivision 1, Ronna Pethick in subdivision 4, Kim Gartner in 5, Bernadette Heintz in 6, Shaun Weber, Richard Hiebert and Rocky Omelchenko in North Battleford, and Glen Leask in Battleford.
Of those, Heintz, Weber and Omelchenko are already confirmed to be the newest trustees on the board. The remaining five are all returning incumbents.
As for the current Board, Living Sky School Division held their latest meeting Oct. 28 and have one more meeting to go on Wednesday, Nov. 4 before wrapping up the term.
Plans are in place at the next meeting to bid farewell to the five departing Trustees: Ron Kowalchuk (sub. 2), Todd Miller (sub. 3), Tracie Heintz (sub 6), Garth Link and Glenn Wouters (North Battleford).
Director of education Brenda Vickers noted the departing trustees and their collective experience in education will be missed. Most had lengthy experience and involvement in education, and Vickers pointed out that in Kowalchuk’s case his board involvement goes back decades.
“I was surprised and yet not,” Vickers said of Kowalchuk’s decision not to seek re-election. “Certainly he deserves some time, but we’ll certainly miss him.”
A farewell dinner is planned to pay tribute to the departing trustees following next week’s board meeting — a tribute that will be scaled-back and in line with current health protocols.
Vickers said after the election there are plans for an orientation for the new trustees, and then the first meeting of the new Board will be in late November.
