Yellowknife (May 04/05) - With two months to go before her contract is up, the superintendent of public education is at home and out of a job.

Judith Knapp found herself out of a job this week after receiving notice two months before her contract was supposed to end. The Yk No. 1 board decided not to renew the superintendent's contract last December.

The board of trustees for Yellowknife Education District No. 1 announced late last week that Knapp's tenure with the district was over as of April 29.

Knapp couldn't comment on the terms of her dismissal due to a confidentiality clause in a pending agreement between the two parties.

She did say she received her notice April 20 and packed up her office this past weekend.

Knapp and her husband Wolfgang Pauli plan on staying in Yellowknife for now, she said this week.

"I'm not sure what I'll do yet. We're not in a hurry to leave Yellowknife. We love it here," she said. "I'm in love with the Northwest Territories and making education healthier, so I'll keep plugging along."

Knapp's job isn't the only vacancy at the district as of May. Her executive assistant, Kim Bailey handed in her notice for mid month.

Chairperson Reanna Erasmus is calling the decision to end Knapp's employment before her official contract completion date of June 30, 2005, a "mutual decision."

Erasmus said Knapp had accrued two month's worth of vacation time in her five years with the district, time that needed to be taken.

At a December meeting, the board caught Knapp by surprise after rejecting a motion to extend her contract to June 2007. They then voted to begin a search for a new superintendent.

"I felt devastated and a bit betrayed. Since they've come on board I've done a lot of work to get them up to speed," Knapp said back in December.

The superintendent, who joined the Yk No. 1 office in October of 1999 to replace Ken Woodley, was almost fired by the previous Yk No. 1 board in October 2003 before they backed down as the current board took over the helm.

The board has been looking for a replacement for Knapp since deciding to oust her from her position.

They've installed former Fort Vermillion, Alta., superintendent Ken Dropko in Knapp's place as the acting CEO of the district until the search is complete, which should be by the end of May, said Erasmus.

The new superintendent will be in place by the summer, she said.

With the 2005/2006 budget pending and the busiest time of the school year to go, Erasmus defended the timing of the board's decision.

"It's just basically the last two months of school. Things are in place.," she said. "I'm excited about the changing of our CEO. That always brings new energy."

The board plans to review the salary for the position before deciding on a new CEO.

When asked if it would be increasing, Erasmus said that was "more than likely."