ST. PAUL - St. Paul Education Superintendent Glen Brodziak has officially announced his retirement. Brodziak will be wrapping up the school year, and stepping away from the position as of June 30, 2022.
The St. Paul region's largest school division made the announcement on Friday.
Brodziak has been working with St. Paul Education since the mid 1980s. He began his 36-year career in Ashmont, working in various roles at Ashmont Secondary School throughout the years.
Brodziak began his career as a teacher, then in 1995 he moved into the role of assistant principal. In 2000, he became principal of Ashmont Secondary. He served in the position until he made the move to St. Paul Regional High School in 2002.
Just five years later, he made the move to central office as an assistant superintendent.
"By the fall of 2008, he became chief deputy superintendent. In April of 2009 he was appointed acting superintendent, and was selected to his current role as the superintendent of schools in August of 2009 where he has served for the past 13 years," according to a media release from St. Paul Education.
Board Chair Heather Starosielski believes that Brodziak's "excellent interpersonal and communication skills have been critical in managing our division, made up of so many learners from such varied communities." She notes that St. Paul Education is one of the most unique school divisions across Canada, and includes Indigenous, Catholic, Protestant, Francophone, Mennonite and Hutterite learners.
"His decisions were always student focused, transparent, and he took pride in being highly approachable to any staff member or parent from our community," says Starosielski.
She added that as chair of the board, she would like to thank Brodziak for his dedication to the school division, "and especially his guidance during this pandemic."
"The last few years have been a very difficult time to be in leadership," she acknowledged. And the situation has often required strenuous and "sometimes unpopular decisions."
But, she believes that it has always remained clear how much Brodziak cares for the community.
"He was born and raised here and he truly understands the fabric of people that make up our diverse division. Glen will be dearly missed, but on behalf of the Board we wish him all the best on his next chapter in life," says Starosielski.
Looking ahead
With Brodziak's retirement, the search for the next superintendent will now take place.
"We will require the successful candidate to be student-focused, collaborative and to have a transparent approach to decision-making," says Starosielski, when asked what the board will be looking for as it decides on a new superintendent.
She adds, "The superintendent will need to be able to cultivate critical relationships with all of our communities. Even with COVID hopefully on its way out, the Board is very aware that we are still in a challenging time for our students. The pandemic has had a notable impact on all students' academics and mental health. It will be critical for the next superintendent to be able to continue a results driven leadership that works in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and our administrators across our division."
The search for the next superintendent will get underway in the coming weeks.
