LETHBRIDGE – An independent review of Palliser Regional Schools’ operations is changing again.
At a special meeting held Tuesday, the board of trustees announced the review panel will now consist of two members, instead of the original plan of three.
The change comes after one of the original panel members refused to sign the services contract. The reason for the refusal isn’t being made public.
After consulting with legal counsel, the board voted unanimously Tuesday to proceed with a two-member review and will now work to finalize new contracts.
Those final agreements will be reviewed and considered for approval at the board’s regular meeting on May 24. Once they are finalized, the names of the two panel members will be released.
Tuesday’s news is the latest snag in the process that began last January, when Superintendent Kevin Gietz requested the independent review to address allegations of bullying and abuse of power within Palliser Regional Schools.
The review was approved by the board in February, but has faced several delays since then.
On Tuesday, Board Chair Colleen Deitz addressed the delays.
“We would like (the review) to get rolling and we would like it to transpire,” she said. “It’s just that there are complications that came up along the way and it took time to deal with those.”