Darcy Martin steps down as KTTA president to take new job in SD74

KAMLOOPS — Darcy Martin has stepped down as president of the Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association (KTTA) to take a new job with the Gold Trail School District (SD74).

In an email sent to KTTA members Friday (Jan. 24) that was obtained by CFJC Today, Martin said she informed the union’s executive committee that “an unexpected job opportunity presented itself last week” and that she had accepted the position.

“Today is my last day as Local President,” Martin wrote in the email. “It’s difficult to express how deeply I have valued working on your behalf over the past five-and-a-half years, and how much I have enjoyed getting to [know] so many of you personally.”

The email did not specify what role Martin was moving into in SD74, which is headquartered in Ashcroft. The district has schools in Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, Gold Bridge, Lillooet and Lytton.

“I leave knowing that the dedicated work will continue and that you will be well supported as Laurel Macpherson and Kerilyn Scott move into the President and First Vice President roles,” Martin continued.

Macpherson is a previous president of the KTTA, having served between 2019 and 2022, when Martin took over the role. On its website, the KTTA says it represents approximately 1,200 public schoolteachers in Kamloops and the North Thompson.

At this time, it’s unclear if the recent financial struggles at SD73 played a factor in Martin’s “unexpected” departure to a job out of district as neither Martin nor the KTTA have responded to a request for comment from CFJC Today.

Earlier this month, SD73 released details about its plan to reduce the use of teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) to substitute in for teachers who call in sick, where possible, until June.

District Coordinators have also been reassigned to work as TTOCs in a bid to reduce what SD73 said were rising relief costs. Some of these District Coordinators have also been permanently assigned to schools, meaning they will get first dibs at any vacancies on days they’re working as substitute teachers, at the expense of other TTOCs who will now have fewer opportunities.

As part of their regular duties, District Coordinators are responsible for overseeing specific initiatives, programs, or services across multiple schools. They often specialize in one area like curriculum, special education, literacy, numeracy, or Indigenous education, depending on their specific role.

Martin previously told CFJC Today that the plan — which SD73 says will save about $600,000 — is not ideal, though she said it is “the best way” to protect jobs.

“Over the long term, if it were to continue, yes, we would see an impact in classrooms,” Martin said on Jan. 14. “Directly right now, I think this is the best way to protect classrooms and the district has maintained those jobs for those teachers.”

“We wouldn’t have wanted to see layoffs but we also can’t ignore that our teachers teaching on call will have fewer opportunities now with more people on the TTOC list.”

SD73 Superintendent Rhonda Nixon has said the district may revert back to normal, if relief costs begin to decline to the point where potential overruns can be avoided.