News Release Archive
EDUCATION/CULTURE--FINAL AMALGAMATION CO-ORDINATOR ANNOUNCED ------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Leonard Williams, former deputy minister for the Department of Education and Training in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been appointed to co-ordinate the amalgamation of the province's remaining regional school board, Metro. Dr. Williams will direct the amalgamation of the Halifax County-Bedford, Dartmouth and Halifax district school boards. As the chair of the 1990 Williams Royal Commission on Education, Dr. Williams recommended comprehensive reforms to primary and secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador. Many of these recommendations have been adopted and the report has been recognized by other provinces as a blueprint for education reform. Dr. Williams began his career as a teacher in 1959. He served as president of the Newfoundland Teachers Association from 1972-1974 and was president of the Canadian Teachers Federation in 1977. Dr. Williams was also a professor and administrator of the Faculty of Education at Memorial University for 15 years. Appointed deputy minister in 1993, Dr. Williams has served on numerous provincial education advisory committees as well as a commission reviewing municipal amalgamation in the Northeastern Avalon region. "As an educator and author of a Royal Commission report, Dr. Williams combines solid experience with a deep commitment to education," said Education and Culture Minister John MacEachern. "Dr. Williams has played a major role in education reform in Newfoundland and Labrador and will draw on his skills and experience in his new position." Like other competitions, candidates were interviewed by a departmental committee, based on established criteria including leadership and communication skills, knowledge of educational issues (such as school board and school council roles and responsibilities), and management, finance and consensus-building skills. Of the qualified candidates, Dr. Williams' proposal ranked the highest against these criteria and was the lowest bid. -30- Contact: Donna MacDonald 902-424-2615 trp Dec. 22, 1995