BRANDON — Members of an oversight panel appointed by the education minister walked out of the Mountain View School Division meeting Monday after the board passed a motion to limit its work.
“We were not appointed by (Mountain View), and they don’t have the authority to change the terms of reference laid out by the minister of education,” panel member Jim Murray, a Brandon School Division trustee, told the Brandon Sun.
“They obtained a legal opinion that frequently referenced the Public Schools Act, but we were not appointed under that act; we were designated as a government committee. Mountain View unilaterally changed the terms of reference laid out for us by a minister of the Crown.”
Mountain View has been mired in controversy since April, when trustee Paul Coffey made a presentation that questioned the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings on residential schools. Subsequently, three trustees quit and the division superintendent was fired. The panel was named by Education Minister Nello Altomare in June.
On Tuesday, the Dauphin-based board issued a statement that decried “the lack of response from the minister of education and the unwillingness of the … panel to collaborate without undermining local governance.”
Murray said he informed the board it lacks the authority to alter the terms of reference for a committee that does not report to them or to modify the minister’s established terms.
“The chair insists he has that authority, claiming the minister had not provided them with terms of reference,” he said. “However, the minister did send them draft terms of reference, signed. They simply do not agree with them and as an oversight panel, we rejected these terms, walked out and trustee John Taylor, who showed great courage in leadership, followed us.”
Mountain View board chair Jason Gryba said the division received “only a proposed draft.”
“We presented the minister with our suggestions, combined with his draft, in a format that would follow the Public School Act, MVSD policies and bylaws, and allow the panel to oversee and advise without jeopardizing the board’s role in operating as local elected representatives and making decisions that are best for students and parents in MVSD.”
In its statement, the board said it had made “multiple requests for clarity” to the province “on how the panel’s role should function without jeopardizing the representation of the community,” but no further guidance was provided.
However, a spokesperson for Altomare said the panel’s terms of reference were “clearly outlined and communicated” to the board.
In its statement, the board said some members of the oversight panel have ties to organizations that have called for the board’s dissolution.
“The panel members were asked to have their respective organizations retract their statements to also show good faith in an effort to work with (the division),” he said.
Manitoba Métis Federation vice-president Francis Chartrand and Andrea Zaroda, a staff officer with the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, are the other two panel members.
On Monday, the board passed a motion to permit the raising of only federal and provincial flags, or flags featuring school logos, on school property. It was put forward by Coffey and seconded by vice-chair Kerri Weiller.
Murray called the flag decision “homophobic at best,” implying it targeted the LGBTTQ+ community, though Gryba defended it as standardizing flag protocol.
“This is true inclusivity and has been an item that has been on our agenda for some time, but has kept getting pushed back due to time constraints,” Gryba said.
“The discussion originated because of complaints that some students were feeling excluded as only certain countries and groups were given representation with flags. The Canadian flag always has been, and hopefully, always will be the symbol of inclusion in our country. Everyone is welcome here.”
A byelection to replace the trustees who resigned is to be held Oct. 30.
— Brandon Sun