Seine River School Division trustee ends tenure as longest serving board chair in Manitoba

The Seine River School Division school board chair stepped down in September, marking an end to the longest serving tenure of any board chair in Manitoba.

Wendy Bloomfield has been a trustee for 43 years, with 35 spent as the board’s chair.

Bloomfield first got involved with the school board when the division shifted from half-day kindergarten to full classes every other day, a decision that made many people upset, she said.

She decided to make a presentation to the board about her concerns, and afterward someone told her she should run for trustee. When she was elected in 1983, one of the first motions she put forward was to bring back half-day kindergarten. She served as a trustee for seven years until 1990, when the chair at the time stepped down.

“I hadn’t really thought about it. I only had been on the board seven years. What do I know about being chair?,” she said.

But several trustees approached her and said she would be a good fit. After some conversations with her family, Bloomfield put her name forward and was selected.

That marked the beginning of a 35-year legacy of continually being elected as chair. School board chairs are elected each year by trustees casting ballots. Bloomfield said there was only one year the race was contested.

What kept her going each year was her desire to make a difference in the schools, kids and staff. Every year when elections came around she would ask herself if she was still making a difference and if there was more work to do.

“If I felt ever that I was just sitting in a seat, I would not stay,” she said.

That promise stayed true. During her time as chair, Bloomfield saw multiple new schools built and the mending of Anglophone and Francophone ties through the creation of the French language school division.

She also played a role in the fight against the former Progressive Conservative government’s plan to eliminate school boards and centralize leadership under one body through Bill 64. That bill didn’t succeed and was scrapped in 2021.

She’s proud of the the work environment she created around the board table.

“We created a board mantra, saying, we can duke things out at the table, but when we walk out the door, we’re still friends, and we can go and have a beer together,” she said, noting she always wanted to put people first in her decisions.

Due to growing mobility issues, making it difficult for her to attend meetings, Bloomfield decided it was time to step down. She said severe arthritis has kept her in a chair at home most days.

When she attends her last meeting, it will be difficult to leave her ward, Bloomfield said.

“Knowing now that you’re not a part of it (the board) when it’s been such a big part of your life for so long, it’ll be hard,” she said, while wiping away tears.

Christine Roskos was voted to replace Bloomfield as chairperson on Sept. 9.

The 12-year trustee served as Bloomfield’s vice chair for five years, an experience Roskos sees as foundational to her development.

“I don’t know that I would be the trustee that I am and and being able to dedicate 12 years to this role, if it wasn’t for the mentorship that I received from Wendy,” she said.

Roskos said Bloomfield took an interest in mentoring her during her early years as trustee.

Whenever there were difficult decisions, Roskos respected how thorough Bloomfield was in going over every detail and making sure everyone’s voice was heard.

As schools were going into lock down during the COVID-19 pandemic, many trustees looked to Bloomfield for guidance because of her experience, she said.

One of the biggest reasons people continued to elect Bloomfield as chair was because of the knowledge and history she had, along with her ability to collaborate with everyone, said Roskos.

Roskos was “quite content” as vice chair, but when Bloomfield communicated to her that she was stepping down, Roskos felt she was ready to put her name forward for chair.

Now starting her first year as chair, Roskos wants to follow Bloomfield’s example and mentor others as she leads.

Bloomfield will continue to serve as trustee, but won’t run for re-election.