ARMSTRONG – The North Okanagan – Shuswap School District has been dogged by controversy for months.
Officials have been under fire for transferring surplus funds to pay for a new building while making cuts elsewhere.
Wednesday, the province released a special advisor’s report into governance in the district and dropped a bombshell, that appears to have surprised even the trustees themselves.
The province fired the whole board and replaced them with a single appointed official trustee.
For parents who had previously called on the board to resign, Wednesday’s announcement the trustees were being fired was vindication.
“Our initial reaction was excitement. We were celebratory for sure,” said parent Tennile Lachmuth.
“As we got more engaged in the process and watching them at the school board meetings, it became very clear to us that there was a level of dysfunction within the board.”
However, for former trustee Bob Fowler, who had served as a trustee for more than two decades, Wednesday’s dismissal of himself and his colleagues came as a shock.
The special advisor’s report touched on the controversy over where the money came from to pay for the new district building, but it also found other issues.
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Those problems included a lack of trust in the school board and a lack of decorum at board meetings. The report also said the board was not functioning well and that trustees lacked the expertise and experience to provide the necessary oversight, including financial oversight.
However, Fowler believes the problems school officials were facing could have been dealt with without firing the board.
Dissolving the school board was only the first of 42 recommendations made by the special advisor.
Read More: Government hires special advisor to review SD 83 board after three trustees resign
“I was surprised that there wasn’t as many processes and protocols in place as far as proper training for trustees.
A single official trustee has now been appointed to help the district chart a new course for at least the next year.
Something that doesn’t sit well with Fowler, who is worried the different areas won’t get the same local representation they once had.
“I’m concerned that the local concerns that we have in Armstrong [and] Spallumcheen won’t be addressed by the special trustee,” said Fowler.
While making the announcement that the board was being replaced, Education Minister Mike Bernier said the new official trustee will be taking on all the duties of the board including public consultation and outreach.
However, in a district where school closures seem to be a constant threat, parents seem cautiously optimistic about the future ahead.
Read More: North Okanagan – Shuswap school closure decision delayed
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