Following the resignations of trustees Trent Derrick and Shuirose Valimohamed, a by-election will be held this fall by School District 57 to fill those roles.
Acting Superintendent, Cindy Heitman told MyPGNow.com the school board is working with a limited timeframe.
“It needs to be completed within 80 days of appointing our elections officer. Very quickly will be bringing forward that recommendation to the board to appoint an officer so that we can begin that work.”
“Right now, it will be a board of five until the by-election is completed and we will work with the board to ensure that there is an appropriate representation to fill the spaces that Trent and Shuirose had on those committees.”
Newly-appointed Board Chair Sharrel Warrington mentioned Derrick spearheaded the work of addressing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
“He was the leader throughout this process and we have valued his work and the inspiration that he brought to us throughout this journey.”
Ron Polillo now takes over the role as Vice-Chair.
The by-election will be held on a Saturday this year with a date to be confirmed.
The decision for Derrick and Valimohamed to resign comes two weeks after the Ministry of Education urged the Prince George School Board to act on a special advisers report, which outlines concerns in the school district, including educational outcomes for Indigenous students, relationships with First Nations communities, allocation of resources, and strategic planning.
Former Prince George School District superintendent Rod Allen will join McGregor and Wilson as a special advisory team to work with the board to:
- ensure trustees understand the recommendations set out by Wilson and McGregor;
- draft a work plan that details how the board will address the recommendations;
- improve district financial planning, including aligning finances with board priorities
- improve staffing resources;
- improve relationships with local First Nations; and
- implement the work plan, as necessary.
The special advisers will submit a final report to outline the progress made by the board in meeting the government’s expectations by March of next year.
The Prince George Board of Education is required to report every two months on its progress. The board’s reporting must include:
- the completion date of the work plan;
- the consultations that informed the work plan, including those with local First Nations;
- the timelines for implementation of the work plan; and
- outcomes from implementing the work plan
A link to the full report can be found here.
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