School board picks same chairs, different meeting schedule at AGM

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

There was no change at the helm of the Tri-County Regional School Board when the election of chair and vice-chair took place at the board’s annual general meeting on Nov. 3.

Faye Haley of Digby County continues in the role of school board chair. Two other members of the board that were nominated for the post declined the nominations.

Ron Hines of Yarmouth County stays on as board vice-chair, following a secret-ballot vote between him and board member Donna Tidd of Digby County.

One change that did come out the annual general meeting is how often the board will meet. For years the school board has been holding two board meetings a month – on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Moving forward it will only hold one board meeting on the first Tuesday of every month.

That’s not to say board members won’t be busy. The school board struck four standing committees at its AGM. The corporate services committee (which encompasses finance and operations and human resources) and the education committee will meet monthly.

A governance committee and a school advisory committee must each meet at least four times a year.

Shelburne County board member Andrea Huskilson-Newell asked that at least once a year the board meet in both Shelburne and Digby counties, to give the public in those counties better access to a board meeting. Normally the school board holds all of its regular monthly meetings at its central office in Yarmouth. A motion to get out into the other two communities was approved.

The school board also vowed to do a better job at policing itself when it comes to in-camera sessions. Board chair Faye Haley acknowledged that there have been times in the past when the school board has abused the in-camera session by discussing things in private that should have been talked about during the public portion of their monthly meetings.

Now, rather than having a 45-minute in-camera session scheduled before every regular monthly board meeting, in-camera sessions will only be held and used as the need arises for issues clearly defined in the board bylaws and the Education Act. Things like personnel and legal issues would fall into this category.