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Dr. Christine Perkins, retiring School District 22 superintendent (submitted photo)
held role since 2021

SD22 superintendent retiring at year’s end

Feb 8, 2024 | 10:30 AM

This school year will be last for the current superintendent of School District 22.

Dr. Christine Perkins announced she will be retiring from her role with the Vernon School District at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

“On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to thank Dr. Perkins for her outstanding contribution to our district and our community,” SD 22 Board Chair, Mark Olson, said.

“She has been a visionary leader, a collaborative partner, and a passionate advocate for public education. We wish her all the best in her retirement, and we hope she enjoys this well-deserved time with her family and friends.”

Perkins began her duties as superintendent of schools in August 2021, taking over from Joe Rogers.

During her time at the helm, Perkins implemented a new strategic plan focusing on student success, which helped the district become a provincial leader in early childhood education and child care on school grounds.

She also moved forward with Truth and Reconciliation recommendations by overseeing the implementation of the Local Education Agreement with the Okanagan Indian Band, co-founding the Reconciliation Scholarship for First Nations, Metis and Inuit students, and helping push the Indigenous student graduation and literacy rates up. Perkins also currently serves as a reconciliation advocate for the Thompson-Okanagan Chapter of the B.C. School Superintendent’s Association.

The School District said Perkins will be remembered for “prioritizing inclusion, the mental health and wellness of staff and students, and her commitment to anti-racism and climate action,” as well as leading the rebranding of the district and overhauling and modernizing district policy.

“I wish to thank both Boards of Education under which I have served, for the time I have spent with School District 22,” Perkins stated in her notice of retirement to the Board. “Together, we have set the path for future success.”

The Board of Education will begin the process of finding a new superintendent of schools in the coming weeks.

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