The Upper Grand District School Board is grateful its director of education has agreed to extend her retirement date to provide leadership stability during the pandemic.
Martha Rogers was originally scheduled to retire at the end of December 2020, but she will now stay on as director until August 2021.
"Thank you to the Negotiations Steering Committee for their work with Dr. Rogers to come to an agreement on a new retirement date of August 2021. We are grateful for Dr.Rogers' leadership during these challenging times and for the stability her extended retirement date will provide for the system," said UGDSB Chair Martha MacNeil.
A media release reported Rogers has worked in education for more than 46 years. She has served many roles in her time in education, including a Primary Consultant with the Dufferin County Board of Education, Superintendent of Program, Superintendent of Human Resources, Director of Education for the Wellington County Board of Education and finally, following the amalgamation of the Wellington and Dufferin County Boards of Education, Director of the Upper Grand DSB. Rogers has served as director since 1995, making her the longest-serving director in Ontario and one of the longest-serving directors in Canada.
“Whether you have been serving as a Director for 25 weeks or 25 years, this pandemic has brought challenges to all school boards,” said Rogers. “This has been a very difficult time to many in our communities. Working with our education partners, we will work to meet the challenges we continue to face.”
Rogers will continue working with senior staff, trustees, educational partners in the province and the school board community to address the fiscal and logistical challenges this school year brings. The board will continue the process of selecting a new director to replace Rogers.
