BRSD Wishes All the Best to Retiring Superintendent of Schools
Posted on:It is with regret that the Battle River School Division Board of Trustees acknowledges the upcoming retirement of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rita Marler.
Dr. Marler has dedicated her entire 34-year career to Battle River, serving first as a teacher, then moving into school-based leadership roles before joining the division’s leadership team in 2014 as a Division Principal, then Deputy/Acting Superintendent and becoming Superintendent in January of 2015.
Rita obtained her Doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2020. She has been a member of the Board of the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) as the Director for Zone 4 and served terms as Second and First Vice-President. Dr. Marler has also been an Education Partner with Education Research Development & Innovation (ERDI) which brings Canadian chief superintendents together to discuss educational trends and issues.
In addition to proudly guiding one of Alberta’s few all-female school division leadership teams, Dr. Marler has been a passionate champion of student-centred decision making, as well as the importance of instructional leadership.
She has led Battle River School Division in implementing new Leadership Standards based on provincial criteria and partnered BRSD with the University of Calgary to study the impact of professional learning on all division leaders. In addition, the focus of Dr. Marler’s doctoral study was on the instructional leadership role of the Assistant Principal.
The BRSD Board of Trustees has very much appreciated Dr. Marler’s skill and support over the last nine years. “We will sincerely miss her commitment to the growth of the Division and to improving student learning through ensuring high quality teaching,” says Board Chair Karen Belich. “But we want to express our thanks to Dr. Marler and wish her all the very best in her future endeavors.”
Dr. Marler will continue in her role as BRSD Superintendent of Schools until the end of June, 2023.