Province appoints oversight panel for embattled Manitoba school division

The province has stepped in and appointed a special advisory panel to deal with turmoil in a Manitoba school division.

Mountain View School Division, in the Dauphin area, has been under heavy scrutiny in recent months, beginning with a controversial presentation about racism by school trustee Paul Coffey in April.

That was followed by the dismissal last week of superintendent Stephen Jaddock, and the subsequent resignation of three board members, spurring the province to step in.

1:04 Mountain View School Division superintendent fired, 3 trustees resign

The advisory panel, which will also focus on issues including diversity, inclusion and reconciliation, is set to include Frances Chartrand, vice-president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, the Brandon School Division’s Jim Murray, and Andrea Zaroda of the Manitoba Teachers Society (MTS).

MTS president Nathan Martindale told 680 CJOB he’s happy to see the advisory panel in place.

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“We’re confident that the panel will ensure a safe and inclusive environment out there in the Mountain View School Division by closely monitoring the board,” he said. “We’re happy that we have representation on the panel, as many people in the division are (MTS) members, so it’s important to have that representation.”

2:18 Calls grow for a school trustee resignation in Dauphin