On Wednesday night, the Halifax Regional School Board voted in favour of a resolution proposing the Department of Education establish a “Capital Planning Committee” that would give way to a more methodical investment process.
Board chair Dave Wright said he would like to see a “rubric” of sorts, created to better outline the reasoning behind where the province is investing money.
“I want to be able to sit down as school boards with the department, get all the players in the room that get influence over spending this money, and discuss how it is that this money is prioritized amongst all boards in the province,” said HRSB chair Dave Wright.
READ MORE: Documents shed light on queue jumping in Nova Scotia school construction
Last fall, the Auditor General raised the alarm when he said he was “lost” in trying to understand why some school construction is allowed to go ahead of others higher on the priority list.
Documents obtained by Global News through an access to information request shed light on the controversial decision-making process and include the scorecards for schools that were pushed ahead of those higher on the waiting list for renovations or new builds for 2014-15.
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The resolution presented before the board Wednesday stated: “Be it resolved that Department of Education and Early Childhood Development establish a Capital Planning Committee with representation of School Boards to develop new processes for capital planning, prioritization, and selection for the benefit of all Nova Scotia taxpayers.”
It will be brought to the Nova School School Boards Association general meeting in Antigonish, N.S., on May 27.
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