Shake-up atop the region’s public school board sends shockwaves

It came as a surprise to nearly everyone after the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) announced jeewan chanicka was no longer the director of education.

The information came in the form of an all-staff letter late Thursday. Social media got a hold of the letter and news broke widely Friday afternoon.

In that memo, the board said Scott Miller would serve as interim director until a permanent replacement could be found. A release Monday morning confirmed the move and congratulated Miller on the role he is to assume immediately.

Jeff Pelich, president, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario told The Mike Farwell Show his group was caught off guard by the announcement.

“It was a surprise,” he said. “For us, I think we were all kind of frustrated by the way things were going in our system. I definitely would not blame Director chanicka solely for some of the challenges the board has been facing. But, you know, definitely looking forward to the future to see what changes can be made.”

chanicka’s tenure with the board was tumultuous to say the least. He found himself at odds with members of the public and board members alike over his progressive approach to education and his desire to reshape the education model.

Pelich said a major complaint was transparency.

“Unfortunately, one thing that was lacking was a real involvement in all aspects of the system. We felt there was a bit of disconnect from time to time, between the front line worker experience and what Director chanicka would be sharing.”

The board’s Committee of the Whole is scheduled to meet Monday, however discussions regarding the shift in leadership was not included on the agenda.