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Published: September 25, 2008 6:00 PMIf anybody still questioned whether the current Comox Valley school board is dysfunctional, an acrimonious five-hour meeting this week removed all doubt.
A majority of trustees continues a process to close Cape Lazo school as two trustees dissent with the backing of vocal community supporters outraged with the board’s direction.
Dissidents have been encouraged by a legal ruling last month in which a judge negated a board decision to close the school. Saying public consultation seemed to be a sham, he ordered School District 71 trustees to reconsider.
A Freedom of Information request has produced an e-mail suggesting the school closure and sale to the Francophone education system was discussed as early as February 2006. Another message indicates the sale was a done deal — with provincial government blessing — months before the board publicly voted.
With this latest indication that seems to support the judge’s assertion of a sham process, SD71 opponents have renewed their demand that public consultation about the Cape Lazo sale be halted.
With the majority of trustees staying their course, the Nov. 15 election to choose a new school board will be the loudest and hottest for years. A change is clearly needed.
A new board, however, will learn it has to deal with a provincial government that sometimes changes the playing field partway through a game.
Although the court ruling gave Comox Valley dissidents more success than elsewhere, the Cape Lazo battle is only one of dozens in B.C. since the Liberals began to encourage districts to eliminate excess space caused by declining enrolment.
The Ministry of Education did so by changing the funding formula.
After a recent change in policy, the Education Ministry is now instructing school boards to re-examine enrolment projections because it might expand kindergarten to children as young as three.
No wonder there’s chaos at the school board level. editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com
