Merger

After our consultation late last year we submitted a request to the Minister of Education to merge the two Deaf Education Centres. The Minister approved our request late in Term 1, and we are now working on making sure everything is in place for a single Deaf Education Service throughout New Zealand as of Term 3 2020.

The team working on this has now been finalised. We are working on setting a change plan and hope to be able to share some key dates early next term. We will use newsletters and our Facebook page as well as our website to keep you up to date.

The big job we are now working on is that of recruiting our new Executive Principal. We have asked for feedback on what is important in our Principal - if you were one of the people that gave us feedback, thank you very much.

Board Elections

We received some very strong nominations for both the parent and staff trustees on the Board. We are in the waiting period between voting closing and the votes being counted. Thank you very much to the people who took part in the election process, we are looking forward to welcoming the new board, and experiencing their stewardship of our organisation.

Thanks must also go to the trustees who are finishing their term on the board. We have certainly had our ups and downs, but the progress we are making to improved outcomes for our students is great, and each of us is excited about what the future holds for Deaf Education.

Student Trustee elections will be held in September. If your son or daughter is in Y9 or above and would be interested in standing as a student trustee, please get in touch with Jill Le Prou, as we may be able to include them in our next Board meeting (in Auckland) to get a taste of what being a trustee is about. Wishing you all a safe and happy school break.

Kind Regards

Rachel Douglas

Chair of the Combined Board of Trustees