The Seine River School Division ends 2022 with several new faces, having filled vacancies on the administration team and in the transportation department. 

Board Chair Wendy Bloomfield says they hired a new superintendent, a new secretary treasurer as well as two new assistant superintendents. 

They lost their longtime superintendent, Mike Borgfjord, after Bill 64 was brought forward by the provincial government. 

Bloomfield says it was a relief when the bill was scrapped, but they still needed to find a replacement for Borgfjord. Ryan Anderson was hired in spring and started his new job during the summer. 

The fall election also resulted in new faces on the school board. Bloomfield says they now have a good variety of experience at the table. 

“We have four new trustees,” she says. “Two of whom are brand new to trusteeship, and two are former trustees of senior school division. So, we've got kind of a mix of well-seasoned and brand-new and partly seasoned trustees now on our board to start building a new board team as well.” 

The division was also active in hiring and training bus drivers in an effort to provide consistent transportation for an increasing number of students. 

SRSD averages an increase of 100 to 300 students each year. In 2022, Bloomfield says they added approximately 220 students to the division. 

Bloomfield says communities are growing and that has translated into a larger student population, which also impacts transportation requirements. 

She is confident they are in a better position now as a few more drivers have completed their training. 

Looking back on 2022, Bloomfield says it was a year filled with ups and downs. She is confident that the division is on a good path for a strong 2023.