December 10, 2014: The Record Off The Record: Inaugural Board Meeting SD61/ December Letters

 Page 1: Inaugural meeting of New Board; motion re Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
Page 2: BC School Boards’ letters from December (page links at bottom)

This meeting was not recorded.All nominations and votes were made by secret ballot.

1. Welcome: Sherri Bell, Superintendent

• Appreciation for Oak Bay High School Jazz Quartet providing music for social hour before the meeting.
• This term is for four years.
• Welcome to all eight high school student trustee / Superintendent’s council reps
• Thanks to Butch Dick, Songhees elder for bringing the welcome ; language poster in Board room was designed by Butch’s son, and Elder Elmer George and Butch.

2. Traditional Greeting: Butch Dick, Songhees Nation Elder

• Calling on qualities of courage, cooperation, and hope as we go forward together building bridges.
• Paddle Welcome Song

3. Call to Order: Katrina Ball, Associate Secretary-Treasurer (Secretary – Treasurer regrets). Motion: That Katrina Ball be appointed Acting Secretary-Treasuerer for the duration of the December 10, 2014 Board  meeting. / Carried. Unanimous.

4. Trustee Election Report: Katrina Ball

5. Swearing-In Ceremony: Oath of Office: The Honourable Mr. Evan Blake

6. Election of Chair:

• Nominated: Leonard, Loring-Kuhanga, Orcherton  Accepted:  Leonard, Loring-Kuhanga, Orcherton /  Elected: Edith Loring-Kuhanga
• Watters: Motion to amend the agenda to place a motion from  the floor at 14
• Loring-Kuhanga: That’s accepted.
• Some objections: “This isn’t what this meeting is for”; “We’ve never done business at this meeting”, etc.
• Whiteaker:  Bylaw 9250.2 Notices of Motion says  motions from the floor are not allowed.

• McNally: Robert’s Rules allow motions from the floor. Nothing in this Bylaw prevents motions from the floor. The motion is of an emergent nature. No one would argue that previous notice of a motion is not desirable. It is. However, this Bylaw says “should”, not “must”.
• Orcherton: Challenge the Chair. (State challenge:) “Past practice has been that this meeting is not for business”.
• Vote to  sustain the chair:  For: Loring-Kuhanga, McNally, Nohr, Paynter, Watters  Against: Ferris, Leoanrd, Orcherton, Whiteaker   / Ruling of the Chair sustained.The motion is added to the agenda at #14.

7.Election of Vice Chair:

• Nominated: Ferris, Leonard, McNally, Orcherton  Accepted: Ferris, Leonard, McNally /  Elected: McNally : Thank you for the nomination and for giving me the opportunity to support public eduction in School District 61 as vice-chair of the Board. I look forward to working collaboratively with our Chair , with senior administration, and with all employee and partner groups – Students, especially in moving the vision of a Student Trustee forward, with the Allied Specialists’ Association, CUPE Local 382, CUPE Local 947, Greater Victoria Teachers Association BCTF Local 61, the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, school level Parent Advisory Councils and parents generally, the Victoria Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association, Trustee colleagues, and members of the public. Every child in British Columbia deserves a free public education that recognizes their strengths and needs and that assists each student to achieve their individual potential. In 1991, K-12 education received 26.36% of the British Columbia provincial budget. In 2002 that percentage fell to 19%, in 2011 15.41 % . In 2014 the Provincial government allocates just 10% of the Provincial budget for education. This trend along with increasing offloads of costs to School Districts creates challenging conditions and an obvious need for a very public defense of the foundation of our society – public education  in British Columbia.Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to serve as Vice Chair of this Board.

8. Election of the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association Representative

• Nominated: Ferris, Orcherton, Watters  Accepted: Ferris, Orcherton, Watters   // Elected: Orcherton

9. Election of the British Columbia School Trustees Association  Provincial Council Representative

• Nominated: Ferris, Nohr, Whiteaker  Accepted: Nohr, Whiteaker // Elected: Whiteaker

10. Election of Vancouver Island Labour Relations Association Representative

• Nominated: Ferris [in this position for many years], McNally, Paynter, Whiteaker   Accepted: McNally, Paynter, Whiteaker   // Elected: McNally [If anyone finds the website or a contact person, let me know.]

11. Appointment of Operations Planning and Policy Standing Committee Members and Election of Chair

• Members Leonard, McNally, Paynter, Whiteaker; Chair Leonard

12. Appointment of Education Policy Standing Committee Members and Election of Chair

• Members Ferris, Nohr, Orcherton, Watters; Chair Nohr

The Board Chair is ex officio (by virtue of other office, ie Chair) a member of both Committees.

13. Motion to Destroy Ballots: / Carried. Unanimous.

14. Moved Watters:That the Board direct the Chair to write  a letter to the Minister of Finance, copying the Minister of Education, requesting that the Minister of Finance heed the recommendations from the First Report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services and increase the funding to K-12 education in the 2015 Budget.  / Carried.  For: Ferris, Loring-Kuhanga, McNally, Nohr, Paynter, Watters   Against: Leonard, Orcherton, Whiteaker

15. Motion to Adjourn: Adjourned 8:20 pm