For the fourth straight year, Ginny Manning has been elected by acclamation to her post as chair of the board of the Okanagan Skaha School District.
Trustees did, however, fill out secret ballots for the election of vice-chair at the board’s inaugural meeting on Monday.
Bruce Johnson, a former school principal elected as a Penticton trustee in 2011, edged out Summerland’s Linda Van Alphen to become the new second-in-command. Van Alphen, now in her fourth term on the board, had been vice-chair since 2009.
Johnson was nominated by Tracy St. Claire, also in her first term, who said she put his name forward “in the interest of democracy.”
Manning was nominated by Walter Huebert, who said the chair has represented trustees well since she took the helm in 2009.
“She answers the questions, runs the meetings well. She does her homework in terms of getting the agenda in place and acknowledges each one of us trustees and respects each trustee and acknowledges and respects the staff. I don’t know what more one could do,” Huebert said.
“It’s a pleasure to serve with such a wonderful group of people,” Manning told her colleagues.
Trustees are paid $10,620 annually, while the vice-chair earns $12,220 and the chair collects $13,290.