On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division announced the appointment of a new superintendent to begin before the 2022-2023 school year.
Dr. Garette Tebay will start her new role as Superintendent of Schools on August 1.
Director of education Robert Bratvold explained that the move will fill a vacancy created by budget cuts a few years ago.
Tebay is a proud graduate of the U of S and has earned and M. Ed in 2008 and a Ed. D in 2017. She has been an educational leader for nearly 20 years, mostly in Fort MacMurray and Parkland school divisions in Alberta.
In a release, the school division touted Tebay for her advanced knowledge and specialized skills in engaging students, staff, and families, for embedding technology into teaching and learning, and for supporting safe and caring schools to achieve student success.
“She is looking forward to coming back and joining the Sask Rivers team,” Sask. Rivers Education Director Bratvold said.
“She brings a diverse perspective to our team. Our composition of our senior admin team will have some different experiences and some broader range of perception and that’s great. Anytime you can have those kinds of perspectives and skills it will be a fabulous contribution.”
Having only three superintendents over the past several years created some challenges for the division, but Bratvold explained that everyone came together as a team to make that work.
“We have an amazing team and I am talking about the senior admin team but also the principals and vice principals and staff in schools,” Bratvold said.
He explained that the existing superintendents did great work despite there being strain from being down one position.
“Filling that vacant superintendent position will provide us more ability to be strategic and visionary and be able to do those kinds of things we do now we will do them more extensively,” Bratvold explained.
Currently the three superintendents watch over all 32 schools in the division roughly equally. With the addition of another superintendent, they will each have less schools to monitor.
Bratvold said that will result in greater support, better conversations, and more support for those schools. He also said it would help in dealing with community partners.
“Obviously, we have got teachers and principals doing some of that work, (and) we have been doing some of that work at the division office as well. This position will help to strengthen that presence and connection with our community,” Bratvold explained.
Dr. Tebay is equally enthusiastic to join SRPSD.
“I am looking forward to getting to know the communities, building relationships with staff, students, families and community partners and to start contributing to the great work being done in the division,” Tebay said in a release.
“As a lifelong learner whose journey into the education profession started at the University of Saskatchewan, I am very happy to be heading to a prominent school division in this amazing province so that I may begin this next chapter.”
Bratvold said the division is excited about the work Tebay will lead and to the expertise she will provide for the benefit of our students, staff and families.
As is required for these kinds of positions in the province, the finalization of the appointment includes approval of the Education Relations Board designation as Out of Scope as well as confirmation of membership as a qualified member of the League of Educational Administrators Superintendents and Directors. Those details will be coordinated in the coming weeks.
They invited their families and partners to join them in welcoming Tebay to the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division team.
Michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
