School board chair defends trips to U.S.

Marieze Tarr was questioned about a pair of trips superintendent Bev Young took with staff members to tour High Tech High in San Diego

I t’s not get on the plane and you get there and you’re on the beach. This is not a pleasure trip, it’s a trip where people actually go and do work and go and learn. Marieze Tarr

The chair of the Okanagan Similkameen School District went on the defensive when asked about a trip to San Diego taken by 10 members of the district staff.

“We do not want them (teachers) in the future second-guessing if they want to participate in professional development because they’re going to be chastised by the public,” Marieze Tarr said during this week’s public meeting.

Osoyoos parent Penny Duperron inquired about two trips to California to tour High Tech High. The first trip in December involved superintendent Bev Young, plus five other district staff and cost $9,962. A second trip in January was attended by Young and nine others. The final cost for the second trip has not been tabulated, but it will be higher, Young said, due to the fact an additional four people attended.

The focus of Duperron’s questioning was why the superintendent needed to attend both times.

“Bev is the educational leader in our school district. We pay her to facilitate the learning and to direct learning and education and professional development for our students,” Tarr answered.

“It’s like sending kids on two field trips. If you have two Grade 5 classes and you go with one half and not the other... you are there to direct the learning of the other Grade 5s. That was the purpose of having the superintendent attend.”

Duperron said she was told the SD53 delegation had to arrive a day earlier to “get your bearings and figure out where the school is.” She then asked, “If you (Young) had already been there, wouldn’t you already know where the school was?”

Duperron said the cost for hotel rooms was $1,600 per night on the first trip and asked why a day in advance was necessary.

“I really have a problem with that,” Tarr said in response to Duperron’s question.

“These people gave up their weekend to travel. I travel to San Diego regularly. It’s not get on the plane and you get there and you’re on the beach. This is not a pleasure trip, it’s a trip where people actually go and do work and go and learn.”

She then suspended the questioning on that issue.

Young said on the day of their return, the group left at 7:30 a.m. from San Diego and arrived the next morning in Kelowna at 1:30 a.m. only to drive home in the aftermath of a snowstorm. Each employee on the trip reported to work the next day.