There will be a new, but familiar face at Lord Kelvin Elementary in the new year.
Sandra Pace, the New Westminster school district's director of instruction, is taking over as principal at the Moody Park school for the duration of the school year.
Former Kelvin principal Daljeet Rama moved on to the Surrey school district, board of education chair Michael Ewen told The Record.
Moving Pace into the position will free up some funds for the cash-strapped district. The district needs to cut back on more than $2.2 million this year in order to balance the budget. The district also has to recover a $2.8 million shortfall from last year.
The district released options to consider ways to cut back on $500,000 on staffing costs - Pace's redeployment is part of that savings plan, Ewen said.
"We would have had to have put someone else in temporarily, so this just allows us some time to do it in a more reasonable fashion," he said. "This way, we are not scrambling to try and plug someone in temporarily."
Pace will remain in the position until June and her staff will also be redeployed during that time, Ewen said, adding that Pace will have no problem moving into her new role.
"She's been in those positions before," he said.
Ewen noted that Rama's departure is a loss for the district, calling her an "amazing principal."
The district paid Rama $106,926 last year, according to the district's statement of financial information, a financial document that school districts are required to provide each year. Pace was paid $119,837 for her administrative role, according to the same document.
