Avon Maitland board appoints new superintendent of education

As the new school year draws closer, the Avon Maitland District school board has made a change in its senior leadership, hiring Riley Culhane as the superintendent of education.

Article content

Culhane, who will replace the departing April Smith on Sept. 1, has spent the past 11 years of his career in a leadership role at the nearby Thames Valley District school board, most recently as the associate director of learning support services.

“I’m really looking forward to joining the Avon Maitland District school board and supporting families, and communities, and staff throughout the district,” said Culhane, who spent the last 24 years at the London-area board.

“I wanted an opportunity to support some different communities in a different area of ​​the province. (There is) certainly lots of professional growth. . . when you’re able to support other other communities,” he added.

As part of his new role, Culhane will be the lead for the kindergarten to Grade 12 program department and will also oversee the schools that were previously supervised by Smith.

Article content

Culhane comes to his new role having spent all of his career working with children, first as a speech language pathologist at a children’s rehabilitation center before pursing his bachelor’s degree in education. He was previously an elementary school teacher and principal before moving to the administrative side of education. Culhane comes from a long line of educators, he said.

“I’m just really passionate about working with students, and making a difference for students and supporting families as well,” he said.

However, Culhane’s time at the Thames Valley board was not without controversy. Last year, several senior administrators at the London-area school board, despite a significant deficit, received pay increases of 12 to 33 per cent over their 2022 earnings. Culhane received a 16.8 per cent increase and was paid $264,131 in 2023, according to the Sunshine List. His future salary at the Avon Maitland District was not disclosed by the board.

Article content

The Thames Valley District school board is carrying a $7.6-million deficit into the upcoming school year while already eliminating 124 positions and cutting funding for school trips and textbooks.

“It’s all about keeping our students at the forefront and making sure that students are at the center of our decision-making process,” Culhane said when asked about the cuts and salary increases in the Thames Valley board. “I’ve always been committed to that goal, and I’ll continue to do so moving forward.”

Culhane comes to the Avon Maitland board at time of transition while officials move ahead with new boundaries in Stratford. These changes will see some students at Avon public school move to Downie public school and others move to Central Perth public school, which will serve as a holding school. Culhane also hinted at some other possible changes for the 2025-2026 school year.

Article content

Culhane was part of the recent boundary change process at the Thames Valley board, which comes into effect this September, so already has significant experience in helping with this type of transition, he said.

“Really, my key role is working with our team to make sure that students and families are really well supported during the transition period,” he said. “I think that our goal is to really listen to the communities, and find out from the communities what we can do to provide the best support in order to ensure that students are transitioning well if they are changing schools.”

[email protected]
@Reporter_Bill

Article content