ETSB says goodbye to Provencher
There was a clear sentiment that Director General Christian Provencher, who is leaving the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) after only 18 months to join the Commission scolaire de la Région-de-sherbrooke, will be missed.
Chairman Michael Murray wished Provencher all the best in future endeavours, adding that the board will likely see him around a fair amount since he will be remaining in the neighbourhood.
Appalachian Teachers’ Association President Megan Seline said that Provencher’s presence provided a sense of optimism among school staff during his tenure. She wished him the best on their behalf.
Tuesday evening was Provencher’s last ETSB meeting. His final day with the board will be Dec.19.
During question period, Megan Seline directed a question to parent commissioner Ken Waterhouse, but was interrupted by Chairman Murray, who explained that questions were to be directed to the board (i.e. the chairman).
Seline then asked Murray if there had been discussions at the parents committee regarding the ETSB’S LGBTQ student population.
The new Lennoxville Borough Council held its first public meeting since the November 5 election on Tuesday evening. President Claude Charron and councilors Jennifer Garfat and Bertrand Collins sat before an audience of six for a session that was over in less than twenty minutes.
As is typical of the Lennoxville meetings, the majority of the time was spent on questions from residents, during which Alf Whittier, Karl Hunting and
Murray told Seline the board meeting was not the appropriate place to ask the question, and to address the parent commissioners privately.
The ETSB annual report was tabled during the meeting. The report indicated that the board is on track with goals set out in the 2013-18 strategic plan, up for renewal in the new year.
While performance on ministerial language arts exams showed improvement, mathematics is an area the board is working on improving, the report showed.
The board approved commissioners’ remuneration for the coming year without listing any dollar amount.
The ETSB board office, formerly a textile factory, purchased and renovated for roughly $3 million in 2011-2012 will undergo a reorganization and expansion.
While the board had initially approved an estimate of $175,000 for the work, Director of Operations Michel Soucy said that because of some issues discovered, the estimate will require an additional $150,000 for a total $325,000 to re-organize the building.
The board approved a modification to the composition of the Special Education Advisory committee, changing the number of parent members from 18 to 23.
Parent Commissioners Paul Laberge and Cindy Vérroneau were absent from Tuesday’s meeting.