VSB to debate role of chairperson

The Vancouver school board will discuss the role of the chairperson tonight at a committee meeting.
Three trustees have submitted motions that were referred to committee, all concerning the role of the chairperson and vice-chairperson.
Since last November’s civic election, the VSB chairperson has been a contentious issue.
The first motion, put forward the lone Green trustee Janet Fraser, calls for the VSB to “develop and approve a policy on the role and responsibilities of the board chair.” Another motion, put forward by NPA trustee Stacy Robertson, calls for the board to similarly define what the board vice-chairperson does.
The third motion, put forward by longtime Vision Vancouver trustee Patti Bacchus, set out what she believes the policy should be. Her motion includes detail such as that “meetings and debates are held in a respectful manner by maintaining a positive climate for discussion” and that the board chairperson should “be the spokesperson for the board and speak on its behalf by representing and defending Board positions and decisions, as made by formal votes.”
It also calls for the chairperson to share information from other levels of government with the rest of the board.
“While historically there has been a consensus and practice that the Board Chair acts and speaks on behalf of the board as outlined above, more recent practice has been for the Board Chair to critique board decisions and express hope that those decisions are
rescinded,” Bacchus says in the rationale to the motion.
Bacchus was chairwoman for her first three terms on the board and Vision had a majority through that time. Last November, the board was split with four Vision trustees, four NPA trustees and Fraser holding the balance of power.
In the first vote for chairperson, Fraser sided with the NPA, electing chartered accountant Christopher Richardson. Richardson resigned in June, amid a controversy about a government-sponsored report by Ernst & Young that called for the closure of up to 19 schools in Vancouver.
Richardson’s resignation led to a new vote. Fraser, whose name was on the first ballet, once again sided with the NPA in choosing Ballantyne, who was selected on the second ballot, in a 5-4 vote against Bacchus. Ballantyne worked as a teacher and also as a manger at the VSB before becoming a trustee.
The VSB usually re-elects its chairperson every December.

tsherlock@vancouversun.com

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