SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Questions for School Board Trustees

Discussion on other education-related blogs over the past few days surrounding the Ontario School Board Accomodation Reviews (ARC’s) got me thinking about the role of trustees in school board governance.  The recent introduction of Ontario’s Bill 177, which attempts to clarify the governance roles of various players in school boards, also spurred friendly debate on what the role of trustees should be.  Some thought they should represent parents.  Some thought they should behave as corporate board directors.  Many thought that accountability will be greatly reduced or that trustees would not be able to voice local concerns, perhaps in opposition to the whole board.

So, are trustees’ powers going to be eroded by the passage of Bill 177? What exactly is the role of a school board trustee?  Probably somewhere in between a corporate governor and a politico.

Frankly, voters (parents, non-parents, and taxpayers all) have a huge responsibility when they elect trustees.  The fact that some Ontario school board budgets are in the billion dollar range makes boards huge corporate entities that require specific skills in governance and oversight.  New challenges faced by enrolment pressures will require some entrepreneurial thinking as well.   At the same time, boards are governed by “politicians” who may or may not act in the best interests of the communities that elected them.

For too long, trustees -as well as many municipal politicians for that matter - have been elected because:

• They are either the first or last name on ballot.
• They are the candidate the local teachers’ federation endorses.
• No one votes for them at all because they get acclaimed.
• They are an incumbent who has been around for 30 years.

I propose that voters look at a short list of questions to ask potential trustees in the next round of municipal elections. Voters are entitled to know what skills a potential trustee brings to the board room table.  These sites are a pretty good start here, here, here, and here.  While some of the questions might not be relevant to your province or school board, most cover issues of curriculum, budgeting, parental rights, and staffing.  Here’s a brief sampling:

• Can you think of any district expenses that should be cut?
• Do you have any corporate board experience?  Do you know how to read a financial statement?
• Do you support merit pay?
• Are you in favour of phonics or whole-language instruction for reading in elementary schools?
• What endorsements, support or donations have you received from unions or other private organizations?
• Do/Did you have children that attended schools?  Where did they go to school?
• What are your long-range plans for the school board?  What are your top five objectives, if elected?
• Do you know how evaluate your board director’s perfomance?

Considering that voter turnout is miserably low for most municipal elections, the growing taxpayer money involved, school crowding or closures, and the risk of underachievement of students, these decisions become crucial at the local level.