Future of school boards explored
Prince George Citizen
28 Oct 2005
Frank Peebles
EXCERPT

The Ministry of Education has announced plans to examine the role of school boards, The Citizen has learned.

The discussion flared up at the provincial council meeting of the B.C. School Trustees' Association. Deputy minister of education Emery Dosdall reportedly told the group that the regionalization of school boards was on the horizon and a new mandate would be drafted by December that redefined the role of trustees.

But Education Minister Shirley Bond said Thursday it is only an exercise in role definition, since the ministry was recently altered to include libraries and early childhood learning for the first time.

Trustees have been asked to make their thoughts known to the ministry on how this should look.

Local trustees who were at the meeting said Dosdall used the phrase "repurposing" school boards.

"My personal viewpoint as a trustee is, I am for local governments and local control for public education in this province," said Prince George school trustee Bill Christie, who is also a director on the BCSTA executive.

"I do not want to see one big school board for the North, I do not want to see a school board appointed by the government the way health authorities are. In my opinion, decisions regarding our children and our students should be kept closer to home where those services are being provided."…

Christie said he and the district's delegate to the BCSTA assembly, trustee Michelle Marrelli, left the meeting with alarm bells ringing.

"The concern of 'Will this be the last school board election?' was on everyone's mind," Marrelli said. "I was one of the few there, I think, who thought this was an opportunity to strengthen trustees' voices, but I do see the possible result -- that being stripped-down school boards -- and I was devastated."

Minister Bond confirmed that such dialogue is on the agenda for the newly formed education roundtable, and as a way of assuring trustees their fates have not been pre-decided, she pointed out, "This government actually insisted on trustees' inclusion at the discussion table, not shut out as the BCTF wanted. They wished discussions to be exclusively at the bargaining table where only they sat. This government wanted all the partner groups to have input. We insisted they have a seat at the learning roundtable."

Bond said it is there that the possible roles of school boards will be aired among the key parties. As for plans to have school boards appointed, Bond said, "No. None whatsoever. I have had no discussions about appointed boards."

The reason for the attention on school boards now, she said, is because after the election when libraries and early childhood education were added to the ministry, it changed the nature of the ministry, so dialogue is necessary to make sure the old players and the new roles fit together properly…

Bond said, also, that rumours of impending legislation were unfounded. She did not know what form legislation would take if it was even necessary, let alone have it already scheduled for the spring sitting of the Legislature.