Leaving a job you love is never an easy thing to do, unless it’s on your own terms.
For Rocky View Schools (RVS) division superintendent Greg Bass the change of scenery will be a welcome one as he heads north to the land of Oiler fans and potholes to help change the landscape of education in Alberta for more than 600,000 students province-wide.
The potholes are one thing, but the Oilers fans, well, Bass welcomes them as a longtime supporter of the blue and gold.
In his new position as deputy minister of education, Bass will take on a greater role in building towards the future of education both for students and educators.
“I’m moving from one group of really talented staff, 2,000 strong, to another really talented group in Alberta Education,” Bass said.
“It will be similar to the job I am doing now, but the impact now is bigger and broader. Trying to move a school or division forward is difficult enough, and I know intuitively, and I’ll be living it soon, that it’s going to be even more challenging.”
Rocky View County is a big enough area to oversee, but Alberta is even bigger, and with 62 divisions province wide, Bass will do his best to help elected education minister Jeff Johnson in creating, building upon and growing a progressive and modern education system.
Bass said that understanding the changing needs and growing challenges within education will be of utmost importance, and despite the added stress and responsibility in his new position in Edmonton, he looks forward to having a greater impact.
In fact, if a much younger Bass were to see his future self, he’d likely be OK with where he ended up.
“Just looking back on it and finding the emotional connection, I wanted to be what every kid at five years old wants to be; fireman, policeman, pro athlete; but I didn’t really know for sure,” said Bass.
“I think that, like a lot of students growing up and going through the education system, I didn’t know, but I had some really impactful teachers that inspired me to do what I do. They inspired me, and now ‘the rest’ as they say ‘is history.’”
But, that five-year-old self might still have a few queries said Bass. “There would be a lot of loaded questions. What is a deputy minister? What is a superintendent? But jokes aside, being a part of public service, giving back to the community and trying to make things better was how I was raised, so my philosophy hasn’t really changed much over the years,” he said.
I’m really passionate about education and as I get a little reflective on my career and look back, there’s always been an orientation to make things better. Whether it was in my classroom, school or division.”
While the position of deputy minister might seem slightly different than that of the elected minister, Bass will be responsible for the education department’s day-to-day operations, budget and program development as the functional head of the department.
For someone who has been in his current position as RVS superintendent since 2007, Bass’s wealth of knowledge will likely not go unused.
“Just ask my wife,” he said. “Every step of my career has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow over the last 25 years and you have to make sure that you have open conversations with your family.
“My children said they’re supportive of me doing this and my wife has been my biggest supporter throughout my career, they’ve all believed in me. We’ve talked about this move as a possibility and I’m hoping that this is that last move.”
As for any political aspirations, he said there isn’t a single political bone in his body, he’s happy where he is.
A newly elected board will potentially be coming this October, so it will likely be a while before RVS sees a new superintendent in place, but Bass has faith that his successor, whoever they are, will do a great job and carry the legacy of 21st century learning.
“It’ll be nice to get back into Oiler country.”
