Rebuilding trust and relationships a renewed focus for WRDSB

With a permanent Director of Education now in place, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is renewing its efforts to rebuild relationships strained over the past few years.

Back in December, WRDSB announced then Director of Education, jeewan chanicka was no longer in the role, with Scott Miller taking over on an interim basis.

What led to chanicka’s departure remains a tightly kept secret, but it appears as though the board is ready to move forward and put the past behind them.

570 NewsRadio had the chance to catch-up with Miller to find out how the transition has been going after assuming the role on the fulltime basis on Feb. 13.

“So far the transition has been great,” said Miller. “I’m so appreciative of the work and how the trustees have helped support the transition and also certainly outreach from community. I’ve heard from school leaders and staff as well as students when I’ve been at schools and people seem excited and certainly I am excited about what lies ahead.”

Prior to chanicka’s departure, there had been much contention between members of the board, concerned parents and teachers about the some of the choices the board had made under its previous leadership. Miller said there is a renewed focus on rebuilding trust and the relationships between the board and the community.

“Something we’re really looking at right now is how do we continue to build confidence in public education and the WRDSB, through the work that we’re engaged in, specifically the literacy and numeracy plans we’re putting into place and really setting high academic standards for our students.”

Miller said there is added importance in engaging with dissenting voices as part of the rebuilding efforts.

“I think the important thing there is ultimately, where do we find common ground? When I think of what common ground looks like, it really means listening to and going out and sitting with community and sitting with those dissenting voices and really getting an understanding of what their goals would be and what they would like to see for their students.”

Miller said he grew-up in the WRDSB; his entire career in education has been with the WRDSB, and he said he has had children graduate from the WRDSB. He said the ability to be part of the community as well as the director of education is very important to him.