There’s unrest at the premiere performing arts schools in the Maritimes.
On one side is the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts Association (MCPAA) and its faculty and on the other is the board of governors.
A major rift between the two sides has developed over the past six months, when allegations were brought forward that some members of the board had been meeting with a local developer to negotiate a sale of the historic conservatory building known as the Chebucto School.
The faculty and MCPAA fear the board wants to sell the historic Chebucto road building and move the conservatory to a new location.
A townhall meeting was held Tuesday night to shed light on some of the issues surrounding the potential sale of the building, but it also delved into deeper issues with current bylaws and the governance model — which some stakeholders suggest allows the board to operate in a silo.
Jason Davis, who was appointed as dean of the faculty of music in May, says the townhall was brought forward to try and air all issues and get the two sides back on the same page.
“There’s been very little information disclosed by the board in terms of communication and about timelines and in terms of decisions,” said Davis, who is also a faculty member.
“We feel that as a non-profit, that there should be some obligation of communication and some obligation of accountability and transparency.”
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Visibly absent from the townhall was the board of governors who declined the invite. The only representative was vice-chair Olga Milosevich, who sat in on the panel and was critical of the level of secrecy at the board level.
“I very much feel that the board is a very non-transparent board, everything is done in secrecy,” said Milosevich, who was part of the eight-person panel.
“We don’t print the minutes for our stakeholders, for instance. I’d like to see the minutes done at the end of every board meeting that happens.”
Milosevich said the board of governors meets once a month, from September through June, but now with this “crisis,” she said, “we are going to be meeting through August, as well.”
There were more than 150 people in attendance to hear the panel, moderated by Jules Chamberlain, who is chair of Celia Concerts, which brings at least a dozen concerts to the Maritime Conservatory each year.
Chamberlain says there are three issues: a push to save the building, addressing the governance model and secrecy on the board, and re-writing the bylaws.
“And it’s not just about the building but how it’s being run and its future.”
An online petition has surfaced and received over 7,000 signatures, with the aim to keep the conservatory in its place.
The historic Chebucto School building is considered a cultural hub of Halifax with 60 staff of instructors and over a thousand students who use the facility.
As for the board of governors, dean of music Jack Bennet said they decline an interview at this time, but issued an email statement saying, “there’s has been no decision to sell the Chebucto School, nor will any decision come prior to meaningful and significant consultations with our stakeholders.”
The faculty and MCPAA want to begin a fundraising campaign to renovate the building, but in the meantime are considering to seek help from the province to find ways to change the governance model and bylaws.
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