When elections for a new North Okanagan-Shuswap Board of Education are held in October, there will be five positions for voters to fill.
Minister of Education Rob Fleming concurred with Mike McKay, the appointed official trustee for the board, and notified the district Thursday that he has signed a ministerial order changing the composition of the board to five trustees.
Related link: Trustee recommends reducing school board to five members
Before the previous board was dismissed by the education minister there were nine trustees on the board.
The order also outlines each of the areas that trustees will represent: one for North Shuswap/Sorrento/Carlin, two trustees representing Salmon Arm, one trustee for Sicamous/Malakwa/Enderby/Grindrod and one for the Armstrong/Spallumcheen/Falkland/Silver Creek/Ranchero area.
Related link: Five school trustees a concern for CSRD
“I’m pleased with the Minister’s decision. The school district’s communities now know what the structure of the board will be, and individuals interested in standing for office can begin planning and moving forward,” stated McKay.
McKay added he has also directed district staff to develop sessions for people considering running for trustee. Information will be shared through the website and media when details are finalized.
The education sessions are keeping with concerns about the previous board structure, where trustees were seen as representing the interests of their geographic voting area to the possible detriment of the school district as a whole.
“With the work that has been done to meet the recommendations of the Watson Report, I am confident that the district will be in a good place for the incoming board to take on its governance role,” said McKay.
To arrive at his original recommendation, McKay held discussions with local area government agencies, First Nations Band representatives, and considered options at the Partner Group Table through a Working Group sub-committee. Face-to-face meetings were held and feedback was also invited from the general community on-line.
“Throughout the feedback process, it became clear that there wasn’t a single option that was universally supported,” said McKay. “But after much consideration, I felt this option would best serve the communities of our district.”
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