Sign up for the northeastNOW newsletter

Member suggests NESD board of education should focus on professional development

Jan 16, 2019 | 10:47 AM

Passionate discussion arose near the end of the North East School Division (NESD) Board of Education meeting in Tisdale on Tuesday, Jan. 15, with professional development being the key topic.

During discussions about who would attend upcoming public sector governance programs, Marla Walton, vice-chair of the NESD board, said the entire board, not just one individual, needs to do more for self professional development.

Luke Perkins, board chair of the NESD board, said after the meeting he agrees with Walton’s comments.

“You can always do better, it’s your job,” Perkins said. “As a board we’d rather spend money on students, facilities, and everything else other than us so sometimes we cut ourselves short, but it’s a valid point. We need to make sure that we’re doing the best job that we can.

“If there are areas that trustees feel that we’re shorting ourselves in then we’ll give them an opportunity to bring it forward and see what we can do.”

Professional educational seminars such as public sector governance programs are voluntary. Perkins said if these programs are mandatory in the future then the board will do it but mentioned administrators with NESD realize members are busy outside of the publicly served boardroom.

Board members Lori Kidney from Naicam and Rural Tisdale, and Linda Erickson from Hudson Bay volunteered to go on upcoming public sector governance programs.

 

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow