Seine River School Division hires Interim Superintendent

An Interim Superintendent has been hired for Seine River School Division.
    
Board Chair Wendy Bloomfield says Reg Klassen, who is currently Chief Superintendent of the Frontier School Division, will join them beginning August 19th. The division says that Klassen has a bachelor's degree in theology, arts and education as well as a masters degree in educational administration. He has over 30 years of education experience in Manitoba as a classroom teacher, guidance counsellor, resource teacher, and school administrator. 

Bloomfield says Klassen will be their Interim Superintendent and will not be sliding into the Superintendent position on a permanent basis.

"He wants to retire, but we were able to convince him to take a short-term contract with us to help us out," says Bloomfield.

The division says that Klassen's personal belief in early literacy aligns with the values and beliefs of Seine River School Division, noting that he has indicated that learning how to read by the end of Grade 3, at a Grade 3 level, has a significant impact on a student's ability to go forward. 

The division also says Klassen strongly believes that community involvement is key to student achievement.

Wednesday's announcement comes just over two weeks after the sudden resignation of Superintendent Dr. Ryan Anderson.

"We knew that we needed to have somebody in place to sort of steer the ship while we are searching for a new Superintendent," says Bloomfield. "We are very pleased to be able to work an arrangement with Reg Klassen."

Bloomfield says they are hopeful that they can have a permanent Superintendent in place by mid-January.

"Often when you are recruiting for these kinds of positions, if somebody does come from outside of the division, they usually have a six-month notice period on their contracts," she says, explaining why this search could take that long.

Bloomfield says the contract with Klassen is until mid-January with the possibility of an extension if that is mutually agreed upon.

She notes they feel very fortunate to have found someone so experienced and capable to help them through this transition phase.