Trustees with the Bluewater District School Board have spent a lot of time making sure the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed.
They met as the Board Policy Committee on Tuesday and went through revisions to board by-laws that set the stage for a change in meeting format.
Trustee Tim Reaburn chair’s the committee and says moving to two evening meetings per month will give the board an opportunity to be more accessible to local residents who may want to attend — or run for a seat on the board.
Reaburn says they will continue to meet once a month at 1:30 PM on the third Tuesday of the month for the rest of this school year, noting it would have been difficult to change part way through.
Trustees Cindy Aitken and Margaret Gaviller were concerned that the new evening meetings would no longer give enough opportunity to showcase positive things that are taking place in area schools.
The current meeting format features an “Excellence in Education” segment at the beginning that highlights a particular program or activity.
Reaburn says Excellence in Education will still happen at one of the evening meetings while the other meeting while highlight programming developments in the board.
Board Chair Jennifer Yenssen and Trustee Paul Wehrle acknowledge it will be a challenge for staff to prepare for the new format and the extra work two meetings a month will bring.
Wehrle says more staff could be needed and suggests considering it during the budget process.