I’ve never met her, but I think Liz Watson is a smart lady.
And it’s not just because we agree on many of the recommendations raised in her report. As a veteran of reading government reports steeped in jargon and political baffle-gab, it was refreshing to see Watson’s remarkably blunt assessment of the situation over at the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District.
This lady did not mess around.
She came, she heard and she cleaned house.
“Consistent feedback identified that board functioning is going from bad to worse with no expectation that this will change in the foreseeable future,” she writes in the report.
The board’s oversight in missing financial transfers in the millions of dollars to pay for an already controversial administration building was shocking. It was a clear indication of the complacency and communications breakdown between the board and its management staff. I agree with Watson’s assessment that a clean slate was the way to go. This board was not up to this task any longer. I’m pleased she just called it out, plain as day.
And if I’ve formed a good first impression of Liz Watson, whom I’ve never even met, I also had a positive feeling after meeting Mike McKay, the newly appointed official trustee.
At six-foot-11, McKay cuts an imposing figure when he walks into a room. I was immediately struck that this was a man with an easy smile and calm authority who, despite his height, would have kids and puppies gravitating to him.
Some are worried McKay will be little more than a BC Liberal Party patsy out to slash and burn the school district’s budget into submission. While in Cowichan, he did oversee the closure of six schools and the implementation of a $200 school busing fee.
He will not shy away from making tough decisions. That’s a reality of this job.
But from what I saw, McKay is nobody’s puppet. He is a well-respected educator who has the learning needs of kids set firmly in his sights. I left the room feeling like this school district has been placed in very large, very capable hands.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out how difficult this situation has been for the fired trustees. Many of them feel they have been thrown under a school bus. Having covered this beat for more than five years, I can assure the public that while there were problems – serious ones – these are not people who became trustees out of any self interest, glory or personal gain. Indeed the opposite. It is an often thankless job that takes plenty of hours with minimal financial return.
I respect that those trustees put themselves out there. That takes guts. Democracy relies on people being willing to get involved and to make decisions – especially knowing there is no magical way to please everyone.
And I hope this debacle does not deter others from taking up the role when an elected board resumes leadership. McKay will not be in place in perpetuity. We will need a new crop of passionate, dedicated trustees to take the reins from him.
