Jackman tried to paint the statements by school trustee George Joyce as being politically motivated and called them “fear mongering.”
Joyce, apparently a former Liberal candidate, revealed in a press release that the Eastern Board had been quietly told to find $7.9 million in cuts from its budget.
Jackman seems to think school trustees are beholding to him and his government’s budgetary problems.
The people of this province elect school board members to serve their best interests, not the government’s.
School board trustees are — or at least should be — accountable to the people who put them in office.
That seems to have been lost in the setup.
School board officials — the professionals — are employed and paid by the government and may have some obligation to their political masters but the school trustees don’t ... and shouldn’t.
"School board trustees are — or at least should be — accountable to the people who put them in office. That seems to have been lost in the setup." -
Elected board members must not be led around by the nose by the minister, his officials or school board officials.
Aside from some personnel matters, school trustees should be open with the people of their region, not sitting in closed meeting, making important decisions and then remaining silent afterward.
If Jackman is demanding millions be chopped from the budget of the Western School Board, shouldn’t the parents of students who will be impacted know who is deciding what and where to cut? If that isn’t the way the school board system is structured now, it’s a complete sham — and time it was changed.
Why bother electing trustees if they are to be silent government puppets?
