Motion for transparency gets voted down by Hanover school board

An attempt by Hanover school division trustee Danielle Funk to get board accountability regarding transparency and code of conduct was defeated by seven trustees.

The motion brought forward was supposed to be discussed in December but Funk wasn’t at that meeting which brought it to Tuesday’s agenda.

“My rationale was I have asked for things to be brought to public meetings in previous meetings in September or October and also in November and was denied these things, which I felt was a lack of transparency of having items on the table that should be brought to the public that we’re doing in the committee of the whole. That’s what started it,” she said.

Funk further explained that the board has been publicly criticized for their actions and it was prudent for the board to take a look at the criticisms and make sure everything was being done by the book.

“I don’t believe we are being as transparent as we could be. I do think we have some issues with code of conduct and I think this is a good thing to ensure to let our communities know that we take things seriously and that they can trust (us),” said Funk.

Funk was not allowed to speak to media as she didn’t have permission from board chair Jeff Friesen. Hanover policy states that a trustee cannot speak to a journalist without chair consent. When Friesen was asked why he was not allowing Funk to speak he said he didn’t need a reason.

Funk’s motion was first brought to the table in November for an independent and external reviewer to conduct a comprehensive review of governance practices and the effectiveness of the board’s code of conduct.

The review would have included an assessment of governance practices, evaluating the current governance structure, policy, and procedures, to identify areas for improvement and assure alignment for best practices.

The review would have also looked at the existing code of conduct to assess effectiveness in guiding board member’s behavior and decision making. Further, the reviewer would have conducted a historical investigation into the compliance of the current board to establish governance practices and code of conduct, and report all findings in a publicly made report.

Trustees Lynn Barkman and Dallas Wiebe were not in attendance during the meeting.

Trustee Ron Falk thought the board should be looking forward and not back. He acknowledged that the board has been struggling for the past two years and he was hoping that through a governance meeting the board would be able to move forward.

Trustee Brad Unger questioned why the motion wasn’t brought forward in the committee of the whole in-camera meeting where it could be discussed instead of bringing it to a public forum first. According to Unger, agenda items are brought up in the committee of the whole and voted on by the board as to whether they will be added to the agenda.

Unger claims Funk never asked for the motion to be included in an agenda, a claim Funk denies asserting she had brought it up in the committee of the whole, but had her request denied.

“I went through the route of asking our agenda setting committee to add these things to the agenda and I was told ‘No.’”

Trustee Cheryl Froese pointed out the fact that “at all of our meetings we vote as a aboard as to what is included in the agenda. It is a frequent reminder that we are acting as a board – as a corporate body – not as individuals.”

Trustee Shane Barkman said the board was “consistent, transparent, accountable, and trustworthy.” He questioned why Funk, who sat as governance chair for two years and is currently the vice-chair, hadn’t guided the governance committee on the right path.

Funk replied back that the chair doesn’t have ultimate authority and that she has on many occasions brought up issues regarding board actions as a whole and not just what happens in the governance committee. She reiterated that she thought items should have been discussed in public.

“I do feel like I’m voicing my opinion and trying to keep people on track, but not being heard as to why I’m bring this forward.”

Trustee Barkman and board chair Jeff Friesen also wondered about the cost of having someone do a review. Funk said she didn’t know the cost and that it would have to be tendered. She said her motion was brought forward prior to the EA layoffs in December and she is cognisant of the tight budget the school division is working with.

Froese brought up that the province has appointed a special advisor who can make recommendations to the board so she felt like a review was unnecessary. She also mentioned that a mentor had been provided to the board for three days, where Funk admitted there were some improvements on what the board should be doing with policies, but she said it didn’t address issues of code of conduct and items that were discussed in-camera rather than at a public meeting.

“I think we’re not doing our best job with being transparent and I feel that I’m not being heard when I bring those things forward. I really appreciate (the mentor) coming in and helping us. I think that’s been positive, but I don’t think it’s been enough.”