The Waterloo Area District Faculty Board is beneath new management.
An all workers discover despatched to workers reads, “Please be advised that jeewan chanicka is no longer the Director of Education of the Waterloo Region District School Board. We thank him for his leadership and contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Effective today, Scott Miller will be taking on the role of Interim Director of Education.”
Ontario Chronicle reached out to the board in regards to the announcement, however they declined to remark and didn’t present a cause for the choice.
Jeff Pelich, president of Elementary Lecturers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in Waterloo Area, says he realized of chanicka’s departure just a few minutes earlier than the announcement was despatched to WRDSB workers, shortly after 11 a.m. immediately.
“The presidents of the different bargaining units for the WRDSB learned about five minutes before the system did that jeewan chanicka was no longer the director of education in an email from the system. And that is it. We did hear from our contacts in human resources just to let us know that it occurred, but that is all we know at this point,” Pelich instructed Ontario Chronicle.
Pelich says there’s been no indication as to the circumstances round chanicka’s sudden departure.
“It was as much a surprise to us as it was to the community and to the rest of the school board.”
“The director role is really one that steers the entire system and ensures that consistent and strong leadership. And so when these sorts of thing happen, it can be a challenge.”
Pelich provides he’s happy to see Scott Miller named interim director, calling it an excellent and sensible alternative.
“I think that he is a calm, steady hand at the helm right now and has been in our system for quite some time, and well-respected by the system as a whole. And we look forward to working with him.”
“I wish him all the best because I think the system has been a bit in crisis over the last few years, and I think it’s time to have some solid, strong leadership in that role.”
The board appointed chanicka because the director of schooling in June 2021. Earlier than that, he had held instructing and management positions at York Area and Toronto college boards and the Ontario Ministry of Schooling.
Editor’s word: chanicka does not use capital letters in his title deliberately.
