Vancouver School District has scooped up another member of Langley School District’s senior management team.
Former Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Hoffman — who was hired away from Langley by the Ministry of Education last year — will lead Vancouver School District.
The Vancouver School District announced Hoffman will be the new superintendent effective Jan. 8, 2018.
Vancouver School District also hired Langley School District’s longtime secretary-treasurer David Green to work on their troubled finances.
Green was also brought into Langley to help get the district back on track when it was discovered that Langley was carrying a $13 million deficit. Green successfully led Langley back into the black and now the district carries a surplus.
Vancouver School District has made headlines in the past year, with the previous nine-member school board being fired by the Minister of Education after it failed to balance its budget. The board was replaced by appointed trustee Dianne Turner.
Vancouver’s then Superintendent resigned after allegations that the former trustees bullied and harassed seniors staff. Two reports, one by WorkSafe BC, backed those claims. It was considered a toxic work environment.
But Hoffman is no stranger to difficult work environments. When she took over in Langley in 2012, the district was facing a $13 million deficit caused by accounting errors. Members of the public expressed a lack of trust in the district and its board after several schools were closed or reconfigured.
Hoffman brought with her a culture of positivity, transparency and public consultation. The Ministry recognized her successes in Langley and hired her to be superintendent of learning transformation for the new curriculum.
“Given my experience in the Langley School District and within the Ministry of Education, and as a parent, teacher, and administrator, I feel I bring a balanced, inspired and informed sense of perspective, and I am excited to work with everyone in Vancouver to make a difference for students,” said Hoffman in a news release.
“The Vancouver School Board is very fortunate that our new trustees, staff and all our stakeholder groups will be working with Suzanne Hoffman, an excellent educator and administrator, to build on our district’s successes and continue to improve student outcomes here in Vancouver,” said Vancouver School Board chair Janet Fraser.
“I am confident that Suzanne’s positive, optimistic approach and her ability to build and maintain relationships make her an ideal choice to lead the district and build a positive culture going forward,” said John Lewis, interim superintendent of VSB.
Living in Walnut Grove, Hoffman’s children graduated from Walnut Grove Secondary. She began working in administration in Langley in 2005, first as district principal and then as assistant superintendent.
monique@langleytimes.com
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