Alberta education news — an Edmonton School Trustee is stepping down after five years on the board, and the Ward F seat she held is now open as Edmonton Public Schools heads into a period of change at the board table.
By Maplestime Alberta Desk | Edmonton, Alberta | October 29, 2026
Sources: Edmonton Public Schools (Board Chair statement on trustee resignation), CTV News Edmonton via EPSB reporting | Last updated: October 29, 2026
Key Takeaways
- On October 27, 2026, Julie Kusiek submitted her resignation as Edmonton Public School Board trustee for Ward F.
- The resignation was accepted at the start of the board meeting on October 28, 2026.
- Kusiek was first elected to Ward F in 2021, re-elected in 2025, and served as Board Chair from October 2023 to October 2025.
- Board Chair Saadiq Sumar praised her student-first focus and wished her well in her future endeavours.
- She resigned to become manager of metro strategy for BILD Edmonton Metro, starting November 2, 2026.
- The board must now decide how to fill the Ward F vacancy.
An Edmonton School Trustee Steps Down After Five Years
Julie Kusiek submitted her resignation on October 27, 2026. The Edmonton Public School Board accepted it at the start of its meeting the next day, October 28. That timing matters for families in Ward F: the seat is now vacant, and the board will have to decide how to fill it.
Kusiek was first elected to represent Ward F in 2021. Voters returned her to the board in 2025. In between, she served as Board Chair from October 2023 to October 2025, a two-year stretch that put her at the front of the board’s public work during a demanding period for public education in Alberta.
Five years is a substantial run for a school trustee. It is long enough to see budgets, policies, and school plans through more than one cycle, and long enough for parents and staff in a ward to know their trustee by name.
What The Board Chair Said
Board Chair Saadiq Sumar issued a statement on the resignation. He said: “She served Ward F with passion, energy and a student-first focus since 2021. We wish her well in her future endeavours.”
That phrase, student-first focus, is the kind of line boards use when they want to sum up an Edmonton School Trustee’s approach in one breath. It is also a useful reminder of what the job actually is. Trustees do not run schools day to day. They set direction, approve budgets, and answer to the families who elected them. An Edmonton School Trustee who kept students at the centre of those decisions leaves a mark that outlasts any single vote.
Why She Is Leaving
Kusiek resigned to take a new role outside the school board. She will become manager of metro strategy for BILD Edmonton Metro, the association for the building, land development, and residential construction industry in the Edmonton region. She starts on November 2, 2026.
The move was reported on October 28, citing CTV News Edmonton and Edmonton Public Schools. It is a shift from public education governance to the housing and development sector, but the throughline is not hard to see. Both worlds deal with growth, neighbourhoods, and planning for families who are putting down roots in Edmonton.
School boards and home builders cross paths more often than people think. Where new homes go shapes where new schools are needed, and enrolment pressure follows development. An Edmonton School Trustee who spent five years on those questions brings a perspective the building industry clearly values.
Related: Maplestime Alberta News: more Edmonton and Alberta stories from across the province.
What Happens To The Ward F Seat
The board must now decide how to fill the vacancy. That decision has not been announced in the verified material for this story, and it is the question Ward F families will be watching most closely.
Until the seat is filled, Ward F residents have one fewer elected voice at the board table. That is the practical consequence of any mid-term resignation, whatever the process the board chooses. Parents with concerns about their schools will want to know who speaks for them, and when.
For now, the facts are simple. Kusiek served Ward F from 2021, chaired the board for two years, and is moving on to a new role on November 2. The board has thanked her, accepted her resignation, and now faces the task of filling the gap she leaves.
A Quiet Kind Of Public Service
School trustees rarely make headlines unless something goes wrong. Kusiek’s departure is the other kind of story: a local elected official finishing a chapter and moving on, with a thank-you from the chair and a new job waiting.
That is worth noting precisely because it is ordinary. Public education in Edmonton runs on people willing to sit through long meetings, read thick budget documents, and take calls from frustrated parents. Five years of that work deserves a plain record, not a fuss.
Ward F voters chose Kusiek twice. Her successor, whoever that turns out to be and however they are chosen, will inherit both the seat and the expectation that comes with it: show up, listen, and keep students first.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Edmonton Public School Board as announcements are made.
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Ward F parents, who should speak for your schools next, and what should they fight for first? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Edmonton family following the school board.
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