After the Greater Victoria School District’s nine trustees were fired by the BC government and replaced with a sole, appointed trustee, Esquimalt is now calling for electoral reform, and Victoria may follow suit.
In January, the trustees were relieved of their duties because the Province did not approve of their removal of school police liaison officers, and did not approve SD61’s new safety plan that designated the roles of police in their schools.
Additionally, the Province says that SD61 did not involve the area’s First Nations partners enough in the decision making process.
The plan was ultimately rejected, and Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, appointed a sole trustee to govern SD61 in place of the trustees that were elected by the public.
In April, the Township of Esquimalt’s council voted unanimously to ask Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, to have SD61 create a task force to consider a Trustee Electoral Area election model.
Once a new model is created, Esquimalt’s council calls on Beare to consider and implement the new model in time for the 2026 local government/board of education elections.
Mayor Marianne Alto now wants to see the Victoria city council echo Esquimalt’s call for reform in how trustees are elected.
“The Township of Esquimalt suggests that the previous SD61 Board struggled with governance issues, and that now is an opportune time to advocate directly to the Minister of Education on the need for a change in how SD61 Board Trustees are elected,” reads Mayor Alto’s council member motion.
“Six municipalities and two Indigenous Nations share one amalgamated SD61 School Board with a system of nine school trustees elected at-large.”
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Mayor Alto is suggesting a “ward system” for SD61’s trustees where a certain number of trustees are elected in each area—one major reason being that the now-vacated trustees did not live in many areas they represented.
The previous board had no residents from the municipalities of Esquimalt, Oak Bay, View Royal, Highlands or Songhees or Xwsepsum Nations.
The ward system applies to many school districts in BC that serve more than one municipality, and Mayor Alto thinks it is the best option for SD61 to more fairly represent the various regions and their interests.
Given that the Minister of Education has the authority to approve and implement a “Trustee Electoral Area,” or ward-based election model for electing school board trustees, Mayor Alto wants to explore what SD61’s options are.
The sole trustee of SD61 has organized an opportunity for a preliminary conversation with the municipalities and Nations it impacts on May 28th.
Mayor Alto’s motion seeks for her to go to this meeting to explore issues and options relating to how the region should move forward.
This matter will be discussed at this week’s committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, May 22nd.
