The monthly Eastern School Board meetings take on a much different tone now that there isn’t an elected school board.
Ever since then-Education Minister Doug Currie fired the dysfunctional school board back in February 2011, a typical school board meeting consists of appointed trustee Patsy MacLean chairing the meeting while Eastern School District Superintendent Ricky Hood and district staff provide information and updates on various activities and initiatives. And then Ms MacLean adjourns the meeting.
It’s a far cry from the waning days of the elected school board, when personality disagreements were exposed like an open wound for everyone to see. The calmer atmosphere would no doubt please educators who attend the meetings in the hopes of learning something.
And it’s not as if the meetings now are entirely unaccountable. After all, district staff are still performing the same duties they’d otherwise have done in the presence of the 11 trustees, and the meetings are still open to the public.
But the upcoming June 2012 trustee election still must take place. Elected trustees can provide a buffer between the school district and the public. Trustees are able to debate and question school district activities and ask for more information. While some board meetings used to be testy, at least it allowed important issues to come out in the open. But at this point, school board meetings are rather flat and one-sided, and the staff is essentially talking to themselves.
David MacDonald