Following the resignation of former School District 5 (SD5) Superintendent Bill Gook this July, the SD5 Board of Education has announced Bendina Miller has been hired to act as the new Superintendent for the District.
Board Chair Frank Lento is pleased to make the announcement and believes Miller will be a great addition to SD5. “I’ve known Bendina for a number of years, and she’s always been considered a top tier educator in the province.”
“In particular, her leadership experience as president of the Canadian Association for Community Living and her work as chair of committees on inclusive education and the rights of persons with disabilities will be a huge asset to the Board’s current work toward improving Special Education within the District.”
Miller also acts as a consultant for the B.C. Ministry of Education’s program and has been contracted by the Ministry to prepare a draft report discussing the future of special education in the province.
The timing of former Superintendent Gook’s resignation was ill timed, as the District generally prefers to post a Superintendent position in the spring to give ample time to find qualified applicants.
However Lento said Miller is more than qualified and happened to be in the right place at the right time. “We had a narrow window to post over the summer and did not receive any applicants who met our criteria for a new Superintendent.”
“We were being assisted in the hiring process by Bendina Miller, the former SD6 Superintendent, and thankfully she has agreed to take on the position for one year to give us more time to seek out a new leader for the District.”
Lento went on to explain, “We would have loved to offer Bendina a longer contract, but we’re thrilled to have her leadership for any length of time. To say that the Board is fully behind this decision would be an understatement”.
While she didn’t initially apply for the position, Miller remarked she’s excited to be joining SD5. “I retired from SD6 due to my husband’s health in 2010 and it was the right decision for me at the time, but I’ve been asked to help SD5 as they review their leadership needs and in their search for a new Superintendent.”
She added, “The timing was right for me to say yes, and I’m looking forward to getting down to work.”
Miller will step into her role as Superintendent for the District on Monday, August 20th.
