Dr. Wendy Johnson announced on Sept. 22 that she will not be seeking a third term as school trustee in the November Township of Langley elections.
Johnson, who will be 65 years old in 2015, has served two terms as a school trustee, topping the polls in both of her elections and serving as Board Chair for the past three years.
“I’ve been contributing to public education for over 40 years,” observed Johnson.
She began teaching in 1973 and worked as a classroom teacher in Langley for two decades before being appointed to administration in 1990. She served as Vice-Principal of Douglas Park Community School for two years before becoming Principal for the next ten years.
Dr. Johnson was named Langley’s Woman of the Year in 2001 and received the Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 from the provincial government for her leadership at the inner-city Langley school.
She served as Vice-Principal of H.D. Stafford Secondary for two years before becoming its last Principal for the four years leading up to its conversion to a middle school in 2008. In 2008 Johnson completed her doctorate in educational leadership at UBC and ran for school board that November.
“I’m very proud of this Board and its accomplishments over the three years I have served as its Chair. We paid off the $13 million deficit one year ahead of schedule, we hired a new district leadership team, we developed Langley’s first long-term facilities plan through public consultation, we implemented almost all of the recommendations from the Auditor-General’s report, we established liaison committees with the Township and the City of Langley, and we’ve established a democratic committee structure to guide the board in its future endeavours.”
However, “It’s time now to step back a bit from the intensity of all this work,” said Johnson.
“I plan to continue doing part-time work as a faculty associate for SFU and I’ll look for other short-term opportunities to volunteer in the community.”
Johnson and her husband, Karl Moser, have purchased a new condo in New Westminster and plan to move there in September, 2015, upon completion of its construction.
“I have lived my adult life in Langley, raised two wonderful daughters together with Karl here, and I believe I’ve made a positive contribution to education in Langley. I have many colleagues and friends to thank for helping me on that journey. Now it’s time to move on in different directions,” said Johnson.