The BC government announced they have relieved the Greater Victoria School District’s (SD61) board of nine trustees and replaced them with a sole trustee who has been appointed by Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare.
This comes after a back and forth between SD61 and the Ministry of Education and Child Care that was prompted by the ending of the School Police Liaison Officer (SPLO) program.
The SPLO program was ended by SD61 in May 2023, after years of an in-depth review process, which many viewed as a controversial decision.
Following the program being cut, the Province appointed a special advisor, Kevin Godden, to the district with the goal of guiding them in creating a new Safety Plan.
On January 6th, SD61 provided the Ministry of Education and Child care with three drafts of a Safety Plan that demonstrated in detail what the roles of the school board and the police would be, to best protect the children in their care.
Later in January, the police chiefs of the four municipalities operating in the area of SD61 expressed that they had lost confidence in the board of trustees.
In a letter to Beare and the Ministry of Education and Child Care, SD61 expressed that this kind of rhetoric is inappropriate.
“We must express in the strongest terms how entirely inappropriate it is for the leaders of municipal police departments or local RCMP detachments to declare their unwillingness to work with a democratically-elected body, simply because the police disagree with a policy decision squarely within the scope of that body’s statutorily-assigned responsibilities,” wrote SD61.
Notably, these trustees were elected and were to serve a term of four years with re-election meant to come in November 2026.
Regardless of this letter, the board has now been dismissed.
In their stead, the Province has now appointed one sole trustee and relieved the nine previous trustees of their duties.
The appointment of the new trustee for SD61, Sherri Bell, is effective immediately, according to the Province.
“Students are at the centre of every decision I make, and ultimately their safety in this school district is at risk. Our government has given this board multiple opportunities to act, and they have not delivered,” Beare said.
“The decision to remove an elected board is a difficult one, but it is necessary to bring our collective focus in School District 61 back to where it belongs – supporting students.”
According to the Province, as per the School Act, the Lieutenant Governor may appoint an official trustee to conduct the affairs of a school district and replace the current board in specific circumstances.
In the case of SD61, the Minister Beare says the board of trustees were not assisting the appointed special adviser and did not collaborate with partners in the development of a Safety Plan.
Bell was a former president of Camosun College and superintendent of schools with SD61 prior to her appointment.
She will continue in her duties as appointed trustee until the next scheduled elections in fall 2026.
Additionally, the Province has reappointed Godden, the special advisor to SD61, who is meant to aid Bell in performing her duties as trustee.
Together, they are being tasked with finalizing the district’s Safety Plan and implementing it for the school district.
SD61’s response to the appointment and dismissal
Following the announcement of the trusses being dismissed and replaced, SD61 shared a letter from Minister Beare to the parents of SD61.
She says that the special advisor did not approve of, or have involvement in two of the three Draft Safety Plans.
In her letter, Beare linked to a heavily redacted report by the special advisor which outlined some of his concerns, but not all due to the redaction.
In addition to the sharing of this letter, Deb Whitten, Superintendent of Schools for SD61 provided the following statement.
“As we look ahead to the latter half of the school year, we are reminded of our learning community’s collective vision,” said Whitten.
“Our focus is and always will be students. Providing safe, culturally responsive, and inclusive learning environments that ensure the voices of the community we serve are reflected in our work.”
Going forward, SD61 says they will be working with Bell, special advisor Goddan, the Esquimalt Nation, the Songhees Nation, the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, the Urban Peoples’ House Indigenous Advisory and other partners in revising a safety and its implementation plan.
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