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Fired Vancouver school board trustees reflect on tumultuous times

Political infighting, allegations of bullying and harassment, chronic funding woes and now a mass firing.
Vision Vancouver trustee Mike Lombardi, NPA trustee Penny Noble and Green Party trustee Janet Fraser
Vision Vancouver trustee Mike Lombardi, NPA trustee Penny Noble and Green Party trustee Janet Fraser were among nine Vancouver trustees Education Minister Mike Bernier fired Monday. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Political infighting, allegations of bullying and harassment, chronic funding woes and now a mass firing.

The prolonged tumult at the Vancouver School Board reached a fevered pitch Monday when Education Minister Mike Bernier fired all nine trustees and replaced them with former Delta superintendent Dianne Turner. She will be in place for a minimum of a year.

In the wake of the fallout, former trustees who spoke to the Courier Tuesday reflected on their time in public office with disappointed bewilderment. Having to balance financial realities with student needs in a highly politicized environment was the biggest eye opener for rookie NPA trustee Penny Noble.

“I’ll take responsibility for being a part of it, but it’s not right, it’s not helpful, it slows things down and gets things in the way,” she said. “There have been so many political agendas and people complaining about the provincial government and using that as an excuse for everything… well, it’s not an excuse for everything. I found that so disheartening. With the system we have now, I felt as though I could have no impact and make no difference. The system needs fixing.”

Green Party trustee Janet Fraser was the deciding vote in initially rejecting the budget in April that ultimately led to the mass firing Monday.

The School Act stipulates that school boards must pass a balanced budget by June 30. In Vancouver’s case, that budget was beset by a $21.8-million shortfall.

Fraser stood by her conviction in an interview Tuesday, suggesting she didn’t regret how she voted in April.

“It’s been quite stressful. The biggest challenge I have is that I got into this because I care about education,” she said. “It seems as though every issue we look at and every decision we made is looked at through a political lens. I have to sort of adjust my thinking to always bear in mind the politics of everything I do even though I make the decisions based on education.”

Vision Vancouver trustee and school board chair Mike Lombardi laid the blame over Monday’s dismissal solely on the provincial government.

“The minister always has tools at his or her disposal,” he said. “It’s a matter of using judgment. I think the citizens of Vancouver and the citizens of B.C. will judge it as a very poor decision and all about provincial politics.”

Questions around severance pay or remuneration remain unclear. Trustees are paid a stipend of $28,000 annually. None of the trustees who spoke to the Courier indicated they have sought legal counsel or intend to fight their dismissals in the courts.

“I don’t have any expectation of any kind of severance because, in essence, we were fired, with cause, for not abiding by the law,” Noble said. 

Monday’s bloodletting didn’t come without precedent. In 1985, the Socred government of the day did the same and a byelection was held months later.

That’s the route Lombardi is hoping the province will take. If a byelection is called, Lombardi will run again, while both Noble and Fraser are undecided.

At a news conference Monday, Bernier acknowledged how politics at the board level played into his decision.

"What we have witnessed from the Vancouver School Board is a misplaced focus on political tactics rather than responsible stewardship,” he said.

Special advisor Peter Milburn has been looking into how trustees have been governing the district. Bernier received a draft version of that report Saturday, which he said prompted him to dismiss the board. The report was delayed after the VSB’s entire senior management team went on sick leave amid allegations of bullying. WorkPlace B.C. is looking into those allegations.

Bernier, who said he has no confidence in any decision the board has made up to this point, noted the release of Milburn’s report has been further delayed because the Privacy Commissioner is looking into a privacy complaint filed by Vision trustee Patti Bacchus.

B.C. School Trustees Association (BCSTA) president Teresa Rezansoff issued a statement Monday suggesting her organization “understands” Bernier’s level of concern. 

“The current situation in Vancouver is about much more than balanced budgets and the need for more money in public education. It is clearly a serious situation when elected members of a board themselves indicate that outside intervention is needed,” she said. “We would want the public to remember that every BCSTA member board of education in the province (59 of 60 boards in B.C.) passed a balanced budget, while still firmly advocating on behalf of public education.”

The group known as The Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education took a different tact in the messaging it sent out on Tuesday, suggesting the province has implemented an “austerity paradigm that is dismantling our public education system.”

“The government is refusing to provide predictable funding and safe, educationally appropriate facilities necessary to ensure that all children in BC, regardless of race, gender, economic background or ability, have the opportunity to meet their full potential,” the group’s statement reads.

 — With files from Mike Howell

jkurucz@vancourier.com

@JohnKurucz