Dufferin-Peel Board education director to retire in January

October 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has announced that Director of Education John B. Kostoff has informed the board of his plan to retire Jan. 15, 2016.
Kostoff will retire after 38 years of service, in his ninth year as director, upon the completion of a process to choose his successor, and after a transition period with the new director in place.
Kostoff has led the Dufferin-Peel board, one of the largest Catholic school districts in Canada, as director of education since 2007. He began his career at Dufferin-Peel in 1978 as an elementary teacher. He also taught at the secondary level and served as department head, co-coordinator, principal, family of schools superintendent, superintendent of human resources and associate director of corporate services.
During his career, Kostoff received numerous awards and honours. He is a past recipient of the Ontario Library Association’s Administrator of the Year award. He was the recipient of the 2014 OCSTA Special Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the Catholic educational community in Ontario, as well as the OCSOA Distinguished Leadership. Also, in 2014, he was recognized by the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education for his significant work with that group.
He has published various articles related to Catholic education and leadership in education; his most recent text being Auditing Our Catholic Schools; A Process of Discernment, Discussion and Action, published by Pearson Canada. He also writes a regular column in the Catholic Register on educational issues.
“For nearly 40 years, John Kostoff has dedicated his skills, talents and considerable leadership abilities to Catholic education,” said Board Chair Mario Pascucci. “The impact of his work, both locally and at the provincial level, has been significant. While we are truly sorry to see him go, we are, at the same time, happy for him, as he embarks on the next phase of his life.”
“When I look at the many accomplishments of the board over my time as Director, I think I am most proud of the collective effort made by all to make Dufferin-Peel such a success for our students and community,” Kostoff said.