School trustee's job is not easy
The Nanaimo Daily News
By Walter Cordery
April 12, 2010

…. Trustees like those sitting on the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district board act as a buffer between the organization with the money (the provincial government) and those who want to tell them how to spend that money (parents, teachers and administrators).

They are beholden to the province for the money and though they used to be able to raise taxes locally, that has become politically unpalatable. Trustees don't negotiate contracts with teachers anymore so the deal the provincial government makes with teachers is imposed on the trustees and if the province refuses to completely fund those negotiated wage increases, as has been the case in Nanaimo, trustees are forced to find the money elsewhere.

Ah, but there's a catch. They can't cut teachers because the province has mandated class sizes and districts can be penalized for having too many students per teacher.

School trustees across the province are left to make the difficult decisions to close schools or cut programs that some call "frills" like band and then they face the wrath of parents who like the fact their children can go to the neighbourhood school that must be closed for financial reasons.

This year, the money allotted to the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District falls $2.8 million short of what's needed to provide the same programs and services as last year.

As if this weren't enough of a frustration for trustees, now they are being mandated to implement an all-day kindergarten program and wonder if they will be fully funded for that.

Something has got to give….

Perhaps it's time to consider eliminating local school boards. It's not my preferred solution but local trustees are basically eunuchs when it comes to funding programs in school districts.

What they have become under this government is a convenient buffer who deflect criticism away from the premier and minister of education. They are also the public's whipping boy when trustees are forced to close schools, cut staff, close libraries, or shut down band and sports programs.

In order to meet the basic education curriculum and ensure students aren't in overcrowded classes, trustees have little room to manoeuvre and still the provincial government is placing more demands on trustees, like all-day kindergarten and early-learning programs.

Because school districts by law cannot run deficits, their hands are tied and there's not anything they can do to untie them. For the most part, they are elected volunteers who have a nice title but little say in how the school district is administered and where the money goes.

Any school trustee who I have talked to runs for a trustee's seat wanting to help make a difference in their school district.

Increasingly, this provincial government is making that impossible.