Liberals would have school board elections within 1 year: Dale Kirby

The Liberal education critic says elections for board trustees with the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District are long overdue, and if elected, the Liberals would hold them within 12 months.

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• School board trustee elections long overdue, says Dale Kirby

Dale Kirby said since the governmentcreated one large school district, the board trustees have been appointed, rather than elected.

"Appointed trustees, hand-picked trustees, it really removes accountability. They are accountable to those who appointed them as opposed to accountable to those people that elected them," he said.

According to Kirby, trustee elections should have been held in 2013,but that didn't happen,he told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

They are accountable to those who appointed them as opposed to accountable to those people that elected them.- Dale Kirby

"The last time we had school board trustees elections in Newfoundland and Labrador was in 2009, so we're six years out."

Kirby said the Education minister signed a new constitution for the school board in September, and createddistrict zonessimilar to the district maps for the provincial election.

"It's very unfortunate that we didn't have any public debate about what those zones for electing school board trustees would be or should be," he said.

"The minister, with very little fanfare, which I thought was very unusual, signed off on this new constitution just this past September before the provincial election, which I think is inappropriate."

'Not passed the test'

Kirby said he spoke with Liberal Leader Dwight Ball about the necessity of school board trustee elections, adding that the party, if elected to form government on Nov. 30, would hold those elections within one year.

He said there is a reason the trustees are meant to be elected, rather than selected, to represent each of the zones.

"I'm sure they're working very hard, they were appointed there to do a job, but I think some of the things that have gone on have really not passed the test," he said.

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