The Bluewater District School Board has developed a report to improve accountability and transparency.
Consultant Geoff Williams presented his recommendations in a summary report that consists of just under 50 recommendations for the board to consider.
They include changes to the structure of board meetings, from holding them in the evenings instead of during the day, to increasing the amount to two a month.
Williams also calls for the board to better monitor its behaviour and that of individual trustees by making the code of conduct a separate policy.
Williams says consultation is also an important aspect of his recommendations.
He says consultation in name only breeds cynicism and therefore the board needs to provide evidence that any consultation work has influenced their decisions.
Williams was called in last spring at the request of Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, after trustees called for a review following a public letter written by Bruce Grey Owen Sound MP Larry Miller and a plagiarism scandal.
Williams says while at the time he was surprised to find out it was the Bluewater board that needed help, it has become clear to him that there are definite problems involving perceptions of lack of accountability and poor communication.
Williams says the most important thing he wants the board to take from his report is that it is possible to move forward and build better relationships.
However, he says they need to be responsible for taking action based on both his recommendations and other sources, such as the board’s outreach process.
Williams says that process, with the public meetings and surveys, is evidence that the board is taking this issue to heart and already working to make improvements.
Board chair Jennifer Yenssen agrees.
She says throughout this entire process Williams has been vocal with the trustees and so Tuesday’s presentation was the not the first time they’d heard many of the recommendations.
Instead Yenssen says they are already working on some of them by reviewing bylaws about the delegation system and the structure of board meetings.
She expects changes to those issues will be brought before the board in the late fall.
Yenssen says her long term goal is to leave the board in a better state for the new trustees who will come in after the next municipal election.
Yenssen says she, the executive chair, and the director of education will meet to go over all of Williams’ recommendations.
They will develop a draft action plan to present for the board’s consideration at their next meeting on October 20th.