The CanadianEd Leadership Show: Episode 126 with Stephen Jaddock

Dean kicks off season six of the Canadian Ed Leadership Show with a nostalgic conversation about his hometown of Morden, Manitoba, and an interview with Western School Division superintendent Steven Jaddock. Jaddock shares his path from teaching and leadership in Dauphin/Mountain View School Division to his first year in Morden, describing the community’s unusual sustained rural growth, increasing diversity, and resulting pressure for new school capacity. They discuss Manitoba’s unique local school taxation, ongoing budget cycles and advocacy for improved provincial funding formulas, and a more open relationship with the current education ministry. Jaddock outlines supports for newcomers through EAL funding, settlement workers, and partnerships, acknowledges challenges of inclusion and limited rural capacity for specialized needs, and previews plans for AI guidelines, expanded technical-vocational learning, learning on the land, and relationship-centered culture. 00:00 Relationships First 00:39 Season Six Kickoff 01:06 Nostalgia for Morden 03:22 Meet Steven Jaddock 03:51 Why Move to Morden 05:13 Community Growth and Diversity 11:03 Leading Through Listening 14:46 Manitoba Education Dynamics 16:21 Funding and Local Taxation 19:24 Government Relations 22:15 Supporting Newcomers 25:25 Inclusion Capacity Challenges 30:47 Partnerships Solve Problems 34:38 AI in Schools 40:46 Five Year Vision 41:37 Tech Voc and Land Learning 44:57 Staff Culture and Purpose 46:51 Rapid Fire Questions 49:42 Hidden Gems of Morden