Wayne Braun, the secretary-treasurer of the Langley School District, has resigned after three months on the job.

In a statement released on Friday, Braun said his resignation comes with “mixed emotions.”

Hired to replace Peter Greenwood who announced his retirement in February, Braun was given the task of steering the district through some of its most turbulent times.

The district announced his hiring in June, and he took up his duties in August.

An examination of the finance department’s books revealed in August that the district had overspent its budget by $8.2 million, the result of miscalculations made over two school years. Braun, other senior staff and the board of trustees, devised a Deficit Elimination Plan which spells out how the district can save that money over the next three or four years.

As the head of the finance department, Braun was to steer the district as it implemented the DEP.

The DEP is currently being examined by the Ministry of Education and, Braun told the board at its Nov. 3 meeting, it may be December before approval is given.

Braun’s letter expresses confidence in superintendent Cheryle Beaumont, senior management, and Joan Bech, who chairs the board of education.

However, while Braun states he is leaving “for personal reasons” his letter leaves no doubt that a gulf exists among trustees, and between the board and some stakeholders, within the district.

He wrote: “The district needs to move to a place where all stakeholders work together for the good of the system. The district has significant challenges, but the system is not broken. However, it will take all parties working together in a unified fashion to pull this off. There is no I in TEAM.”

Braun’s resignation is effective Jan. 15, but his last day of work will be Dec. 18. He will return to Calgary for a new role in the education sector.

Tally Baines, the assistant secretary-treasurer, will take over from Braun until a replacement is found.

Beaumont and board chairman Joan Bech both expressed confidence in the district’s ability to continue without Braun until his replacement is hired.

In a separate statement issued with Braun’s announcement, Beaumont said that Braun’s decisive actions in preparing the DEP “will carry us through many challenges even after he has gone. His work has provided us with a blueprint for managing our finances.”

She said: “Mr. Braun quickly assessed the scope and nature of the financial challenges facing the district and initiated a comprehensive strategy for meeting them.”

Bech said in an interview that Braun had accomplished a great deal in his short tenure with the district.

“He has brought openness and transparency to the district’s finances, both for the board and the public,” Bech said, adding that he introduced stronger financial controls and developed a plan to correct the errors of the past.

This plan trims top-level administration and minimizes the impact on students, Bech added.

A Ministry of Education spokesman said that Minister Margaret McDiarmid “has every confidence in the board” and that staff will continue to help Langley School District officials sort out the financial situation.

“The minister has been on record before saying that she has confidence in the board,” the spokesman said, adding that McDiarmid had already publicly observed that auditors Deloitte stated that the board was not in any way implicated in the overspending.

“Nothing has changed,” the spokesman said.

Bech is using Braun’s resignation to call for critics to move on.

“Mistakes are in the past and have been taken care of,” she said.

“We are a pretty dynamic district overall. I am proud of our students, our staff and everyone. They are all working for the kids.”

Asked if she was confident that the district can go forward without Braun until his replacement is found, Bech said: “Yes, I am.”

She added; “There is no doubt that we are going through a rough time, certainly a rough patch, but thanks to the work that Mr. Braun has done, and with senior management and the board, our mistakes are in the past and have been taken care of. But it really is time to move on.”