School trustees change rules … to limit feuds

WATERLOO REGION — Public school trustees are rewriting rules that govern their conduct, hoping it will stop them from using the rules against each other so often.

Changes adopted temporarily by the Waterloo Region District School Board have:

Eliminated this clause in the code of conduct, criticized as a threat to free speech: “When expressing opinions publicly, trustees shall conscientiously uphold the board’s reputation.”

Barred trustees from lodging a complaint within two months of a school board election.

Barred a complaining trustee from voting on the outcome of that complaint.

Allowed for a formal investigation to be suspended if trustees wish to resolve a complaint in some other way.

“I think it’s fairly significant and it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” said trustee Mike Ramsay, twice accused of breaching the code and found guilty once. “As they say, who feels it knows it.”

“I think that this is a huge step toward making us more productive,” board chair Scott McMillan said.

The revised code still compels trustees to behave in a way that “will inspire public confidence in the abilities and integrity of the board.”

Ontario requires elected school boards to operate by a code of conduct. Trustees have not been shy about wielding it against each other.

Over two years, six trustees have been embroiled in bitterness over who said what to whom, leading to three complaints under the code, an emotional public apology, and a probe by Ontario’s ombudsman.

The latest complaint led to a confidential report that cleared Ramsay. Written by a Windsor lawyer, it reads like an indictment of an overly politicized board that’s seen more drama than a high school cafeteria.

While turmoil roils the board, students have been underperforming on standardized tests and dropping out at above-average rates. Ramsay connects the turmoil to poor performance, arguing trustees are too distracted by personal grievances to focus on student achievement. The board will spend $824 million to educate 62,820 students this school year.

Trustees may make more changes to code of conduct, pending a legal review. Also, the board has not decided if it wants to hire an outsider to conduct all formal investigations when a trustee is accused of behaving badly.

Hiring an outsider provides impartiality but adds costs. Taxpayers spent $12,000 on the last formal investigation that cleared Ramsay.

“We don’t think this is a finished product. It’s a work in process,” McMillan said. “There’s things that may have been taken out that might get back in. There’s things that were put in that might get taken out.”