Marc Casavant confirmed last week that his rather sudden letter of impending resignation had nothing to do with any existing situation or developments in the South East Cornerstone School Division, but rather, it was a family-based decision.
Casavant, the director of education for Cornerstone for the past five years, came to the local division from a superintendent's position in the Chinook public school system in the southwest corner of the province.
Living in Weyburn for the past five years has been a positive experience in a city that he was familiar with, having been a member of the Weyburn Red Wings Jr. A hockey team during his teenage years.
Casavant is completing his 10th year in a senior administration posting and said a move to the Prairie Valley Public School Division as deputy director is more or less a strategic family decision, since it will allow them to live in Regina where his three growing children will soon have an opportunity to attend the University of Regina while living at home. He said making a commitment to Cornerstone for another three years would have made the move almost impossible since his eldest child is now 14 years old.
"Pulling her out of school in a senior year, or out of a local hockey program at that point would be just too difficult and unfair," he said.
The move will also enhance opportunities for family members, including his wife, to get further educational and training opportunities. He noted that on occasion he has been asked to do an educational class presentation at the university, and while he has accepted some, he has also turned some down due to the travel requirements, poor weather or lack of time, something that would be a lesser problem in the future.
Casavant will continue to honour his current contract with Cornerstone up to the end of July of this year.
"It was a discussion we had as a family right around the Christmas break and by January it was becoming pretty clear what we needed to do from a family perspective," he told the Mercury.
During the opening minutes of the Feb. 20 school board meeting, Estevan trustee Pam Currie expressed thanks to Casavant for being a solid contributor to the board's well-being.
"You've kept us on track. This division is a provincial leader and a lot of that is due to your leadership. We've accomplished a great deal, and I just hope you'll always remember this board and its members, too," she said.
Last week Cornerstone board chairman Harold Laich stated the board had hoped to re-sign Casavant for a three-year extension of his contract and that while his resignation came as a bit of surprise, it was certainly understood, and there was definitely no animosity or negative issues surrounding the decision as far as he knew.
Prairie Valley is a similar size to Cornerstone in terms of student enrollments and number of school facilities. It serves outlying communities east of Regina such as White City and Indian Head.
