MVSD board mum after legal advice
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/06/2024 (542 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The chair of the board of trustees at Mountain View School Division says he has been advised by the division’s lawyers not to speak to the media about recent events.
After Monday evening’s board meeting, the Sun waited at the Dauphin board office to attempt to speak with trustees after they finished an in-camera discussion.
In April, the board received criticism after Ward 2 trustee Paul Coffey made a presentation described as racist against Indigenous people by groups like the Manitoba Teachers’ Society and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Since then, Education Minister Nello Altomare ordered a governance review into the division’s operations, Supt. Stephen Jaddock was dismissed and three members of the board resigned, leaving four vacancies on the nine-seat body.
After Jaddock’s dismissal, the Sun was unable to reach board chair Gabe Mercier for comment, but he told CBC that Jaddock’s removal had come after he had asked for a salary increase and that the board resignations came after a “power struggle.”
On Monday evening, Mercier said legal counsel for the division had told him not to comment any further after conducting that interview.
He said a meeting with Altomare was scheduled for Tuesday. He warned he would not be able to comment further on Jaddock in the future as it was a human resources issue.
The Sun also attempted to speak with Coffey, who said he did not want to speak ahead of the meeting with Altomare. He complained that “legacy media,” including the Sun, had written nasty things about him and taken items from his presentation out of context.
He said if he were to comment in the future, he would likely have to do it as an individual and not in his capacity as a trustee, as he had done when he appeared on an online talk show called “The Shadoe Davis Show” to defend his remarks.
A spokesperson for Altomare confirmed a meeting between the minister and the board did occur on Tuesday and said the governance review is still ongoing.
At Monday’s board meeting, parent Jarri Thompson interrupted proceedings at one point to criticize the board’s actions and called for the board’s dissolution. Before the meeting, Manitoba Teachers’ Society president Nathan Martindale reiterated a previous call he’d made for the board to be dissolved.
» cslark@brandonsun.com
» X: @ColinSlark