Oversight panel walks out of Mountain View school board meeting

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This article was published 25/09/2024 (484 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A provincially appointed oversight panel walked out of the Mountain View School Division’s Monday board meeting as controversy continues to grip the beleaguered division ahead of an Oct. 30 byelection.

The board followed up the next day by releasing an “important announcement” decrying “the lack of response from the Minister of Education and the unwillingness of the appointed oversight panel to collaborate without undermining local governance.”

Education Minister Nello Altomare appointed the three-person panel in June, following the resignation of three trustees and firing of the superintendent in the wake of a controversial April presentation by Ward 2 trustee Paul Coffey.

Panel member Jim Murray, a Brandon School Division trustee, said Monday’s walkout was prompted by the board’s decision to pass a motion limiting the panel’s ability to participate in meetings.

“We were not appointed by MVSD, and they don’t have the authority to change the terms of reference laid out by the minister of education,” Murray told the Sun.

“They obtained a legal opinion that frequently referenced the Public Schools Act, but we were not appointed under that act; we were designated as a government committee. Mountain View unilaterally changed the terms of reference laid out for us by a minister of the Crown.”

Murray said he informed the board that it lacks the authority to alter the terms of reference for a committee that does not report to them or to modify the minister’s established terms.

“The chair insists he has that authority, claiming the minister had not provided them with terms of reference,” he said. “However, the minister did send them draft terms of reference, signed. They simply do not agree with them and as an oversight panel, we rejected these terms, walked out and trustee John Taylor, who showed great courage in leadership, followed us.”

MVSD board chair Jason Gryba told the Sun the division did not receive finalized terms of reference from Altomare.

Instead, it received “only a proposed draft that was submitted to MVSD in June with the invitation for our board to submit our suggestions to the minister,” Gryba said in an email.

“We presented the minister with our suggestions, combined with his draft, in a format that would follow the Public School Act, MVSD policies and bylaws, and allow the panel to oversee and advise without jeopardizing the board’s role in operating as local elected representatives and making decisions that are best for students and parents in MVSD.”

The chair also confirmed Taylor left the meeting, saying it was “for personal reasons. This is permitted.”

In its statement on Tuesday, the board said it had made “multiple requests for clarity” to the province “on how the panel’s role should function without jeopardizing the representation of the community,” but no further guidance was provided, “leaving things in a state of uncertainty,”

However, a spokesperson for Altomare told the Sun the panel’s terms of reference “have been clearly outlined and communicated” to the board.

“The Deputy Minister of Education attended one of the MVSD board meetings and further clarified the role of the oversight panel (who assist before and after every meeting) to help the board fulfill its primary role, creating safe, inclusive spaces for all children in MVSD,” the spokesperson said in an email.

In its statement, the board said some members of the oversight panel have ties to organizations that have called for the board’s dissolution, “which makes it difficult to trust the process and ensure they’re committed to supporting local governance.”

Gryba said the board has continued to work with the panel members in an effort to “show good faith.”

“The panel members were asked to have their respective organizations retract their statements to also show good faith in an effort to work with MVSD,” he said.

Apart from Murray, the panel is comprised of Manitoba Métis Federation Vice-President Francis Chartrand and Andrea Zaroda, a staff officer with the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

In another controversial move, the board on Monday passed a motion adopting a procedure to permit the flying of only federal and provincial flags, or flags featuring school logos, on school property. It was moved by Coffey and seconded by vice chair Kerri Weiller.

Murray called the flag decision “homophobic at best,” implying it targeted “the LGBTQ+ community, though Gryba defended it as standardizing flag protocol across schools.

“This is true inclusivity and has been an item that has been on our agenda for some time, but has kept getting pushed back due to time constraints,” Gryba said.

“The discussion originated because of complaints that some students were feeling excluded as only certain countries and groups were given representation with flags. The Canadian flag always has been, and hopefully, always will be the symbol of inclusion in our country. Everyone is welcome here.”

Former educator Cam Bennet said the board should focus on pressing concerns within the division and not “flags.”

“I was tutoring a student earlier today and noticed that there’s still no air conditioning at Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School,” he told the Sun.

“McNeil School has been undergoing renovations for nearly two years. From conversations with former colleagues, I hear that staff morale is awful. There are so many other matters I wish the board would address instead of focusing on flags. I’m unsure what problem they’re trying to solve with that motion.”

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