Public school board accepting applications for trustee positions

GECDSB filling positions in Amherstburg/LaSalle and Leamington/Pelee Island 

The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) took three times to come up with a process to fill trustee vacancies, but they did arrive at a conclusion.

Trustees voted to seek applications for two vacant positions with interviews being Dec. 15 and the new trustees to start Dec. 16. 

The vacant trustee positions are in the Amherstburg/LaSalle area due to the resignation of Ron LeClair and in Leamington/Pelee Island after the resignation of Nancy Armstrong.

LeClair submitted his letter of resignation in September and the board accepted it in October while Armstrong’s letter of resignation was accepted Nov. 18.

The motion trustees would agree on was somewhat similar to the original motion recommended by chair Gale Hatfield. Hatfield believed the GECDSB should follow the same process as it did when trustee Sarah Cipkar resigned and was replaced after an application and interview process by Malek Mekawi. 

“I think it’s the fair way and fairest to the community,” trustee Cathy Cooke said of the recommendation by Hatfield.

Hatfield believed it was an open and transparent process and that all qualified people who applied were interviewed. 

A suggestion of taking a “shorter route” was not recommended by Hatfield as she didn’t believe that would be as transparent or fair to the community.

“I would be very disappointed if the board took that route,” Hatfield stated.

Trustee Julia Burgess did not support going the same way as the board did during the Mekawi appointment, stating “time is of the essence.” 

Burgess said she looked at the vacancies as “distinct” and the board has to look at who vacated the seat and why.

“I think it takes too long,” Burgess said of the Hatfield recommendation.

Hatfield responded by stating she doesn’t know why time is of the essence, and the process went smoothly last time. 

There was “a great deal of interest at the time,” the chair said, and people need time to consider the position and make a proper application. Administration needs time to go through the applications, she said.

“There’s no need to rush. We have eight trustees who are fully capable of representing the entire school board,” said Hatfield.

Hatfield said they are all responsible for the entire area and she didn’t believe it was fair to the communities to rush into everything.

“I’m pretty sure the eight trustees are capable of carrying on for one more board meeting until we appoint someone,” she said.

Trustee Linda Qin thought it might be fairer to go off prior election results but Hatfield said she would have a hard time voting to go down that route. 

Once the motion failed to follow the same process as last year, trustee Kim McKinley put forth a motion to contact the second place finishers in each of the two areas, believing those people could be qualified to take over the positions.

Student trustee Ruby Rivington did not support that, stating “three years can hold significant change” and would rather look at a pool of qualified candidates, something student trustee Cole Foster agreed with. 

Foster added if the second place finishers apply and are the most qualified then fine, but he also wanted to look at a pool of candidates.

Cooke urged transparency and said “if people there want to apply, let them apply.”“Can we not just work together tonight, do it right and move on? Please,” said Cooke.

The second motion was defeated and, just before Hatfield moved on to the next agenda item, Mekawi put forth another motion that was similar to the first though noted the method in which he was appointed had some issues as he felt he was answering the same questions twice.

Mekawi’s motion called for a public expression of interest, a maximum 15-minute interview for each qualified candidate using three standardized interview questions with those coming at a special Dec. 15 meeting. 

The new trustees would be appointed the following night at the regular board meeting.

Applications are now being accepted through the board’s website. More information on the positions and how to apply is available at https://forms.publicboard.ca/Trustee-Application. 

The deadline to apply is Dec. 10 at 12 noon. 

Public school board accepting applications for trustee positions

By Ron Giofu