Catholic super retiring

By Jeremy Appel on November 14, 2018.

NEWS FILE PHOTO
MHCBE superintendent Joe Colistro is seen in this May 2017 photo. Colistro announced at the regualr board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 that he'll be retiring on July 31, 2019.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education superintendent Joe Colistro will be retiring after the 2018-19 school year, trustees heard at their Tuesday meeting.

Colistro’s final day on the job will be July 31.

Board chair Dick Mastel said Colistro informally notified MHCBE of his impending retirement “some time ago.”

“I don’t want to do this but I guess I have to,” Mastel said of the announcement.

He said he’s worked closely with Colistro in the five years Colistro has been with the MHCBE, at least three to four times each week.

“Joe is very inviting and just a super leader and relationship builder in our district,” said Mastel. “It’s with great regret that we accept your resignation, but we wish you well in whatever pursuits you undertake.”

Colistro expressed similarly high praise for his MHCBE colleagues.

“Over the years I have made many new friendships and was given the opportunity to work with a wonderful, caring and professional staff,” he said in a news release.

The board is hoping to find a replacement early in the new year, with a slated start date of the beginning of the 2019-20 school year.

Those with education experience interested in the position can find the job posting at mhcbe.ab.ca or on social media @MHCatholic.

Accountability numbers up

Associate superintendent Chuck Hellman presented the board’s accountability pillar results, which mostly show an improvement from the previous year.

Hellman said the numbers are based on a combination of testing and survey results.

In most categories, MHCBE scored higher than the provincial numbers.

Education quality, as well as creating a safe and caring environment, were two categories where MHCBE scored more than 90 per cent — at 93.1 and 90.7 per cent, respectively.

By contrast, the provincial average was a respective 90 and 89 per cent.

Last year, the board scored 91.9 in education quality, and 90.7 in safe and caring.

The board’s drop-out rate decreased to 0.8, compared to the provincial average of 2.3, from one per cent last year.

The only categories where MHCBE didn’t outperform the provincial average were parental involvement, which scored an 80.4 compared to the province’s 81.2, and excellence in the Provincial Achievement Test, which scored 18.8 to the province’s 19.9.

However, acceptable PAT scores at 82.9 were well above the provincial average of 73.6, although they decreased from 84 per cent last year.

“The bottom line is that Medicine Hat Catholic is one of the best school districts in this province,” said trustee David Leahy. “In terms of all the measures in this report, it is the best school district in this city and area. Period. That’s a fact. It’s not fake news. It’s not us bragging.”

Leahy took a swipe at the region’s public school boards, which he acknowledged “may be a tad controversial.”

“In this city, where we have two school boards who are advocating for the elimination of Catholic education, the Catholic board outperforms them,” said Leahy. “Makes you kind of wonder.”