By Chris Jaster
The Chinook School Division’s board will be more informed when they make their decisions this year.
The board unanimously passed 18 policy changes at its monthly meeting Aug. 23, which will shift the board’s focus from setting up the school division to operating it.
Although most of the policy changes are subtle, the board did make one large modification by creating board standing committees, which will focus on finances and budget, facilities, transportation, and technology. More may be created later on, because of the interest of some board members.
“These committees were created so that the board can get a little deeper knowledge and then they can bring that back to the board and perhaps save time during board meetings,” said Randy Beler, chairman of the board. “I don’t want to leave the impression that the board is uninformed. The board is informed.”
Beler believes those board members who have interests in the areas of the new committees will join those committees.
Board committees are supposed to consist of a minimum of two trustees, and board members will
select their respective committees at the organizational meeting Nov. 8.
While board members will be part of the decision-making process of policy and program reviews set out through the school division’s continuous agenda, the committees will not be able to exercise authority over staff. They must make a recommendation to the board and the board will make decisions based on that information.
One perk for trustees to join these new committees is financial compensation.
“Trustees are paid by the meeting,” said Beler. “So
if a trustee goes to two extra meetings they’ll get compensated for that. It’s up to them to file for it.”
All operations and decisions will officially go through the director, secretary-treasurer, executive assistant and communications representative. Previously, the board technically was controlled by the chairman. The board changed policies to recognize that it now deals with all four people.
“We were dealing with them direct all along,” said Beler. “This change of policy actually reflects what we’re doing. It’s just now formalized.”
Liam Choo-Foo, the director of education, is impressed the board saw it was necessary to make these changes to its policies. He believes they’re just part of the natural evolution of the Chinook School Division.
He is also happy the board voted unanimously in favour of the changes, as it makes his job much easier.
“It’s truly the work of the board to review policy and to give direction,” he said. “When the board speaks to us through policy, that’s the unified voice that we use to then implement various procedures or practices in the school division.
“Where it gets tough is when the board doesn’t have clear policy and you have this from an administrator’s view and you have a group of board members who would like to see one thing and a group of board members like to see another thing and then administration is in a difficult position for what direction to take the system. When a board comes together and speaks through policy, it’s clear, it’s direct and it makes administration easier.”