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Error must be corrected

New school board is moving ahead with budget planning

Editor, The Record:

Re: Mission school trustee should apologize, Feb. 9 edition.

It is encouraging that our former school trustees are still taking an active interest in Mission Public Schools and their advice will always be welcomed by me. However, their recent letter to the editor is a little off the mark.

There are many reasons why bylaw one should be amended, but foremost among them is the fact that the policy, as it currently reads, is inconsistent with the School Act. This is not my opinion but comes from a review of the bylaw done by the school district’s legal firm.

This means that since September 2008 one of the bylaws which constitute the “procedural law of the board” is not fully aligned with provincial regulations. I have no idea of how this may, or may not, have impacted the daily operations of the school district.

I also do not criticize individual trustees or the former school board for this policy error. I understand that mistakes can sometimes happen. My point is that, in our efforts to improve school district policies, we have identified a significant error and we need to move quickly to bring that bylaw back in line with the School Act.

In the meantime, the new board is moving ahead with strategic planning and budget setting. During this process I will be doing my best to ensure that our district directs its attention and funding toward initiatives that will have the greatest positive impact for students. I look forward to public discussion shifting away from governance policy to issues such as academic standards, school safety and program choices.

Jim Taylor

Trustee

Mission Public Schools