After more than a year of work on re-naming the school board, the Grande Yellowhead Regional Division (GYRD) has put the roll out of its new name and logo on hold until the Department of Education approves the name change.

A special board meeting was held last Friday to give board members information on the delay, said assistant superintendent, Ed Latka.

“It was to give board members the information that they are going to need to delay the roll out of the new name,” said Latka adding that name must first be approved by the department and then legally changed.

For Jasper’s GYRD Board Trustee, Betsy DeClerq, the delay is a little bit disappointing.

“It’s disappointing but what can you do?” she asked. “It’s a government delay – that kind of thing happens and we’ll just roll with it.”

Despite the original plan to roll out the new name and logo with the 2009/10 school year, it looks like the change wont happen until during the school year or even at the end.

“Going back to school for kids and staff is always an exciting time... it (the rebranding) would have just added a little more to the excitement to it,” DeClerq said, “we were going to have some special little treats for people with the name on it and now that wont happen,” she added.

To prohibit a massive waste when discarding old stationary during the re-branding, schools were simply running out of old items in time to order the new re-branded ones. However, due to the delay some things for the 2009/10 school year will have to be ordered again.

“There might have to be a few new things, but smaller amounts,” said DeClerq adding that the 2009/10 school calendar will be made with the old GYRD name and logo. 

“It was hoping to go to press with the new name,” she said, “and now it’ll go with the same GYRD.”

Latka said the division was hoping to put a bylaw before the board at the August 26 meeting to get the name legally changed to Grande Yellowhead Public School Division, but that was reliant on approval from the department. 

“There’s been no decision that’s made in that regard,” he said.