Vernon School District Supt. Christine Perkins has announced her retirement.
Perkins, who assumed the role of School District 22 superintendent in August of 2021, will leave her post at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
School board chair Mark Olsen expresses his gratitude for Perkins’ dedicated service.
“On behalf of the board of education, I want to thank Dr. Perkins for her outstanding contribution to our district and our community. 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,” Olsen said.
Some of Perkins’ accomplishments include the collaborative creation and implementation of a new strategic plan that focuses on student success, leadership excellence and community connections. She has overseen the district becoming a provincial leader in early childhood education and child care on school grounds, and made significant gains in Indigenous student graduation and literacy rates.
“Dr. Perkins has exemplified a commitment to leadership excellence in both her professional expectations of herself and her belief in those she leads,” said assistant superintendent Katherine Oviatt.
Supporting the principles of truth and reconciliation, Perkins oversaw implementation of the Local Education Agreement with the Okanagan Indian Band, was a co-founder of the Reconciliation Scholarship for First Nations, Metis and Inuit students, and is currently the reconciliation advocate for the Thompson-Okanagan chapter of the BC School Superintendent’s Association.
The school district says Perkins will leave behind a legacy of prioritizing inclusion, the mental health of staff and students, and a commitment to anti-racism and climate action.
Perkins also led a rebranding of the school district and an overhaul and modernization of district policy.
Provincially, Perkins served on the board of the BC School Superintendent’s Association, the Ministry of Education’s Funding Equity Committee and the Learning Advisory Board.
When she came to the Vernon School District, she brought experience from previous roles as superintendent for Kootenay Lake, assistant superintendent for Nicola-Similkameen, and principal at Howe Sound Secondary School and Don Ross Secondary School in School District 48 (Sea to Sky).
“I wish to thank both boards of education, under which I have served, for the time I have spent with School District 22,” Perkins said in her notice of retirement to the Board. “Together, we have set the path for future success.”
The Board of Education will begin its search for a new superintendent in the coming weeks.
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