Board clarifies Trustee roles, policies, perceptions

In addition to allocating resources through our annual budget, one of the most important duties of the Board of Education is to pass policy that guides our district. These policies then direct senior staff in crafting regulations to guide the everyday operations of our schools and programs.

A great deal of work has been done in recent years updating the governance policies of School District No 46. In particular this past fall, trustees spent several hours discussing appropriate updates to Policy 3, Role of the Trustee. Especially in an election year, it is important that this policy be clear and unambiguous. We strengthened the policy by amending sections regarding conflict of interest. We also added Policy 7, Trustee Donations.

A quick Internet search on ‘municipal politics/conflict of interest’ reveals an abundance of recent court cases in municipalities across our province and country alleging conflict of interest by elected officials. In particular the decision on the Islands Trust case by the BC Court of Appeal in January 2013 (Schlenker vs Torgrimson, 2013, BCCA19) raised the bar in finding a conflict when people elected to public office are empowered to grant funds to other agencies in the community when those officials also sit on the boards of those societies. In response to this case, our board revised the Role of the Trustee requiring that elected trustees ‘refrain from sitting on the board or executive of any corporation or organization that receives funding from School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast)’ and ‘refrain from sitting on any specific school-related or program-related group in the district, including Parent Advisory Councils, except as a liaison from the Board.’

Board of School Trustees members visited schools from Langdale to Pender Harbour recently. At Langdale elementary, they playfully demonstrated Chair Betty Baxter’s assertion that, “We strive to be held to a higher bar.” photo courtesy School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast)

The new Trustee Donations policy reads, ‘the Board of School Trustees of School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast) believes that for effective and ethical governance, the office of trustee must be clear of any perception of favouritism or conflict of interest; and furthermore that our schools, programs, employees and students must be clearly separated from individual political or personal interests. Consequently, the Board of Trustees of School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast) supports individual trustees making general, anonymous, un-targeted donations to the school district as a whole.’ This means that trustees wishing to contribute financial or in-kind donations to our district must make those donations to the district as a whole and not to any designated program to ensure no perception of favouritism to any specific school or program.

When we live in a series of small communities, all local organizations need and deserve our support. Our school district is no different and welcomes financial support and enriching partnerships from many community businesses and individuals. We recognize trustees have an ethical and fiduciary responsibility to represent and consider the district as a whole in all our decision-making. We hold financial decision-making authority for all school programs. We strive to be held to a higher bar. We have never had a legal conflict of interest challenge and these stronger policies should help to ensure that we never do.