VANCOUVER: Education minister fires school board
VANCOUVER SCHOOL BOARD: Minister of Education replaces board with former Delta superintendent
Just hours after B.C. Education Minister Mike Bernier fired the Vancouver school board, labour groups and parents were lining up behind the turfed trustees, further polarizing a mess both sides insist is all about politics.
Former Delta School District superintendent Dianne Turner has been appointed official trustee by Bernier, replacing the board. It is unknown whether any school closures or cuts will be made before the provincial election next May, but Bernier said he doesn’t expect Turner to rush any decisions.
Bernier announced he was firing the board for failing to pass a balanced budget on Monday morning, the very day the VSB was poised to approve the balanced budget they refused to approve by the government’s June 30 deadline.
“I have no confidence in any of those announcements or decisions they were making,” Bernier said. “What we’ve witnessed from the Vancouver school board is a misplaced focus on political tactics rather than responsible stewardship. The board failed to follow the law.”
Former VSB chairman Mike Lombardi, one of four Vision trustees on the politically split board, said it was an “outrageous political decision” to fire the democratically elected school board.
“The people of Vancouver elected trustees to stand up for public education, not to do the provincial government’s dirty work of closing schools, cutting programs and selling off public assets to address a budget shortfall of their own making. The Vancouver school board is now being run out of Premier Christy Clark’s office,” Lombardi said at a news conference.
Special adviser Peter Milburn was appointed earlier this year after the board rejected a budget calling for $21.8 million in cuts. This fall, six senior staff members went on medical leave at the same time and the board called off a process that could have seen 11 schools closed next year.
Bernier said he received Milburn’s report Saturday, but he can’t release it because of a privacy complaint filed by trustee Patti Bacchus.
“For the most part there was nothing in that information that gave me any confidence that the decisions being made by the board in the past or into the future was going to be beneficial for the students,” he said.
Vancouver parent Jennifer Stewart said the timing of the firing makes it look like the decision was made for political reasons. Stewart said Bernier should be more open if there are other reasons for the dismissal.
“Our kids are the ones who are trapped in this mess. As a parent and as a voter, I would really expect to see crystal clear reasons,” Stewart said. “The budget isn’t a good reason because they were just about to pass it. Also, the balanced budget is already in effect and those cuts have been implemented.”
Stewart said if Turner proceeds with school closures, responsibility will sit with the province.
Parent Carrie Bercic called the firing “the most shocking thing” she has seen in 18 years as a public education advocate.
“I wish I could say that I am hopeful that Dianne Turner will put the needs of students first in our district, but 15 years of inadequate funding and a total lack of concern for public education by a government that is now entirely pulling the puppet strings have shown me that there is little hope of that,” Bercic said in an email. “...(T)his move will absolutely galvanize parents and advocates to work together to be certain there is a change in government in May.”
Opposition NDP Leader John Horgan blasted the government for dismissing the board, calling it “absolutely outrageous” and portrayed it as a move by Clark to seize direct control of operations at the VSB.
“There was no reason to dispatch this board,” he said. “The fact they had to fire the board today speaks to their lack of support for the democratic process and speaks to a government that is going to use education as a partisan tool in the coming election, and I just think that’s wrong.”
B.C. School Trustees Association president Teresa Rezansoff defended Bernier’s decision.
“It is an unfortunate and rare situation whenever a board of education is fired, but we also understand Minister Bernier’s concerns over the current state of affairs in Vancouver,” Rezansoff said. “The general public must have confidence that every board of education is acting in the overall best interest of both students and taxpayers. When that confidence begins to fail, or is challenged by what seems to be an unending series of disputes, public support for the board falls rapidly.”
Rezansoff said a significant number of trustees on the board were urging the government to take action. “It is clearly a serious situation when elected members of a board themselves indicate that outside intervention is needed.”
The B.C. Federation of Labour and the unions that represent VSB workers say they’re “outraged” the board has been fired.
“The B.C. Liberal government has shown contempt for Vancouver voters who democratically elected Vancouver school board trustees,” the VSB unions said in a statement.
“Now an unelected administrator directly appointed by and responsible to the provincial government will make decisions without any public accountability to Vancouver citizens — that’s simply wrong.”
Turner’s appointment as special trustee is for at least 12 months, with the option to extend it, Bernier said. The next civic election in B.C. is not until October 2018. Bernier didn’t say if there would be a byelection.
Earlier this month, the board hired former superintendent Steve Cardwell and former secretary-treasurer Rick Krowchuk to fill in for staff on leave, but on Monday it appeared both had been let go. Cardwell tweeted “it was an honour to help bring stability to #VSB — for the good of students and staff ... now back @UBCEduc and teaching tonight. Best to all.”
The VSB meeting set for Monday night was cancelled.
Lombardi and Bacchus, who have both been elected three times as school trustees, said they will continue to advocate for public education, despite being dismissed as trustees.
“We’ll continue to passionately oppose the chronic underfunding of our classrooms — because Vancouver’s students deserve better than a provincial government with a record of contempt for public education,” Lombardi said.
Bacchus said she has no plans to enter provincial politics.
Turner was hired as associate superintendent in Delta in 2008 and became superintendent there in 2010.
Before that she was a Vancouver teacher, vice-principal and principal. In June 2016, she was hired by the Ministry of Education to become the province’s chief educator.