Four of 14 board members not running this time

Regina’s two school boards are elected through two different electoral systems, and that shows no signs of changing.

Since 2000, the public school board has had subdivisions, with candidates campaigning in one of seven areas of the city.

The Catholic school board is elected on an at-large basis, meaning each voter selects up to seven candidates on the ballot.

According to John Conway, a University of Regina sociology professor who served 18 years on the public school board, subdivisions make for a more democratic process.

“You have representation from across all districts of the city rather than a huge turnout in a particular area,” said Conway, who spearheaded the public board’s transition from an at-large board in the late 1990s.

“I think the diversity of the board improved when we moved to a subdivision system,” said Conway.

“The smaller the unit in which the election can occur, the more likely you are to get a better representation of diversity.”

Conway argues the public board should have even more subdivisions, following the city council’s 10 wards, for further diversity.

But the at-large board system works well for the Catholic board, according to two trustees.

“We recruit from a smaller pool” of candidates and voters, said Frank Flegel, current board chair who is running for re-election. “About 30 per cent of the voters are supposed to be Catholic.”

Flegel argues introducing subdivisions would limit diversity on the Catholic board.

“The feeling is if you go city wide, you have a better opportunity for a wider variety of candidates that could run, rather than maybe have one or two in a particular subdistrict,” he said.

An at-large system could mean several trustees live in the same area of the city, but Flegel doesn’t see that as a problem.

“When you’re entered in a particular subdivision or constituency, your primary concern has to be the folks in that district, because they’re the ones that elected you,” said Flegel. “With us, our constituency is the entire city.”

Longtime Catholic board member Gerry Kleisinger agrees.

As no particular trustee is tied to a specific ward, the board can work more harmoniously together: “I’m (not) representing a certain area of the city and I’m (not) fighting for a new school there or teachers or the rest of it,” said Kleisinger.

On the other side of that coin, said Conway, citizens don’t have a specific person to approach with concerns or complaints.

“The reason we have constituencies is so that the public has access to a person who is i.e. their representative. When you have an at-large board or an at-large city council, who do you talk to? What random councillor do you pick, or what random school board member do you pick?” said Conway.

Regina Public Schools spokesman Terry Lazarou emphasizes that even though public trustees are elected in subdivisions, they are responsible to the entire city.

Most of the province’s rural school boards are elected by subdivision, as is Saskatoon’s public school board.