Welcome Back Letter from Superintendent Sean Beaton

Superintendent Sean Beaton shares a message for parents and guardians at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As the 2025–2026 school year begins, I want to extend a warm welcome to all families across the Livingstone Range School Division. Whether this is your first year with us or one of many, thank you for trusting us with your child’s learning and well-being.

This is my first year serving as Superintendent of the Livingstone Range School Division. I am honoured to join a division with such a strong history of innovation, care, and community connection. My career began in outdoor education and has taken me into classrooms and learning communities both here and abroad. I was drawn to Livingstone Range because of its commitment to creating multiple pathways for student success and its strong partnerships, including those with the Blackfoot people, whose ways of knowing and connection to this land continue to shape and enrich our schools.

As we begin this year, I know there is some uncertainty in Alberta’s education landscape as labour negotiations continue between the provincial government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association. As you may be aware, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) held a province-wide strike vote in June. The majority of teachers who participated in the vote, voted in favour of potential job action. Under provincial legislation, the ATA must provide 72 hours notice before initiating strike action. Job action could take different forms such as a withdrawal of voluntary services, rotating strikes, or a full provincial strike. At this point, our schools will open as planned on September 2.

Negotiations between the ATA and the Alberta Government are ongoing. Both parties have expressed a desire and commitment to meeting in the hopes of reaching a fair agreement. It is important to note that our local School Board and ATA Local are not directly involved in the negotiations. 

While these negotiations unfold, our focus remains the same: to provide safe, caring, and engaging learning environments for every student, every day. We are committed to keeping you informed of any developments through our division website, SchoolMessenger notifications, and our official social media channels.

This year marks the final year of our current Division Education Plan, and in the months ahead we will be inviting parents, guardians, staff, and community members to help shape the future direction of LRSD. Your perspective is essential as we continue building learning environments that foster achievement, curiosity, and care for the world our students will inherit.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support. The work of public education is truly a shared effort between schools, families, and communities. It is this shared commitment that creates stability and opportunity for our students, even in times of change. I am excited for what we will accomplish together this year.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and ongoing support of our schools. 

Best Regards, 

Sean Beaton
Superintendent of Schools