There’s been a big shift at the Sea to Sky School District.
SD48’s longtime superintendent, Lisa McCullough, will soon be ending her decade-long tenure as the the head of Squamish’s schools. She will be taking a position at the Ministry of Education in September.
At the same time, two long-time local trustees — Rick Price and Ian Kent — are passing on the mantle of leadership.
The pair, who have been serving as chair and vice-chair for a considerable length of time, will no longer be at the helm.
Coming into the positions of leadership are Rebecca Barley and Cynthia Higgins as the new chair and vice-chair, respectively.
Finally, the Sea to Sky School District’s secretary-treasurer, Mohammed Azim, will be leaving SD48 to work in Coquitlam’s school district as of Aug. 15. Secretary-treasurers often do not get the same amount of attention as superintendents, but they are a key piece in making the school district run smoothly.
Serving in public office — especially in local governance — is an often thankless job.
Vast amounts of time are essentially donated, as compensation usually doesn’t match the amount of work being put in. The pay is terrible, and, generally, much, if not most, of the feedback that is given from the public is generally criticism.
Now, that’s not to say that there shouldn’t be any scrutiny.
There should. That’s part of the deal and part of what makes a democratic society work.
But, regardless of whether you agree with officials’ decision or not, there is no question it is an immensely challenging job.
They are tasked with taking the desires of the public, which often contradict each other, and coming up with a solution.
The only thing is, these solutions rarely grant everyone what they want. Compromises are often made.
Trying to thread a middleground while making everyone happy is an almost impossible job.
So yes, leadership is a tough job — it should be.
Leadership is often scrutinized — it should be.
There will often be disagreement over the correct course of action — there should be.
But, it doesn’t always have to be completely thankless.
To those of you who are either leaving or taking a step back from leadership — we thank you for your service.
To those of you who will be our new leaders, we welcome you and wish you the best of luck.
