Having spent 15 years in the world of school-district finances, Kim Morris sees few new challenges ahead as she steps into the role of SD73 secretary treasurer on March 2.

Which isn’t to say there won’t be hurdles she and her team will have to overcome. Inflation, capital expenditures, and child care for parents are among the financial concerns Morris will tackle while on the job.

“All districts are probably experiencing varied pressures,” she said, adding these are not unique to the Kamloops-Thompson School District.

Child care is a relatively new cost to school districts, although having learners in schools prior to starting kindergarten is a good way to ease them into the system, said Morris.

An increase in staff benefits and the rising cost of running a school district – including maintenance costs – are also on Morris’s radar. Which, she again points out, isn’t unique to SD73.

“I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I think the financial challenges have always been there in terms of inflation and escalating costs to some degree in one department or another, or in one category or another,” she said.

“I’ve always maintained it’s not how much money you receive. It’s what you do with it.”

Prior to taking the job in Kamloops, Morris was secretary treasurer for the Peace River South School District in Dawson Creek. She has also held posts in Victoria, New Westminster, Nelson, Trail and Prince Rupert, leading budget development, long-range facilities planning, capital projects and technology upgrades.

Morris sees the secretary-treasurer role and her department as “the glue that holds the organization together.” She looks forward to working with school district staff, the board of trustees, and new superintendent Mike St. John, who took over for interim superintendent Mike McKay on Feb. 2.

“I’m really looking forward to listening and asking questions and understanding the context of the district,” she said.

Morris considers herself a strong advocate of public education and sees it as a basic human right. When the Kamloops position came up, she found the depth and breadth of the programming here — and the discussions she had with St. John and trustees — aligned with her views.

“I think the new superintendent, Mike St. John, is deeply commitment to supporting staff and supporting students and that certainly aligns with me,” she said.

Kamloops itself was also a draw. She and her family visited the city many times while on family trips or en-route to sporting events for her children. She remembers stopping during one of those excursions and enjoying a slice of pizza while listening to live music in Riverside Park.

“I’ve always imagined and wondered what it would be like to live and work in Kamloops. It was always in the back of my mind,” she said.

Morris also looks forward to enjoying the many recreational options the city and region has to offer.