Jim Cambridge didn’t get much time to relax after retiring from the Sooke School District this summer.
He finished up Aug. 1 and, as of Sept. 1, is serving as the interim superintendent for the Campbell River School District following Tom Longridge’s announcement at the end of July that he was leaving. Longridge has taken a job with the Cowichan School District.
Cambridge will step in while the school district looks for a superintendent on a full-time basis.
“We were very fortunate in that it was possible to find an acting superintendent. It was very short notice,” said board chair Susan Wilson, who officially welcomed Cambridge at the start of the first board of education meeting of the school year on Tuesday evening.
“I’m very excited to take on this opportunity … to bridge between Superintendent Longridge and whoever the board chooses to be the new superintendent in the near future,” he said.
He spent a busy first day on the job, with visits to five schools in the morning as well as the board meeting.
“After 37 years in Sooke,” he told school trustees, “I was just excited to come to a new place.”
Of his time in Sooke, he spent the last nine years as superintendent and also has served as assistant superintendent, principal, vice-principal and teacher.
Cambridge said he was struck by how “calm and purposeful” staff were going about their work on the first day of school.
“I wouldn’t say that is uniform across the province,” he said.
He was also impressed by the visits to middle and secondary schools on Tuesday, and the atmosphere for students going into grades 6 and 9 coming to new schools.
“I’m excited about finding out about the big things that are happening in Campbell River,” he said.
Cambridge is planning on talking with the partner groups in the school district and with the administration, teachers and support staff at the schools. For example, he has asked Greg Johnson, the district’s principal for Aboriginal education, about attending a meeting with the program.
“I’d like to spend some time making sure I connect with those folks,” he said.
He has also scheduled a meeting with principals of every school in the district to find out about the “good things” happening in their schools and if there is anything of which he needs to be aware during his time in the position.
“It sounds like you are off to a great start,” Wilson told Cambridge.
As far as finding a permanent replacement, the board chair said the school district is hoping to find the new person by the middle of October. The closing date for applications is Sept. 21. The district has posted the position across the country and has been receiving applications.
“If there are no suitable applications, then of course that deadline will be extended,” she said. “So far, the process has moved about as quickly and efficiently as possible.”