Tag: serve

Holding trustees accountable to the public they serve

The moral and ethical debate pertaining to trustee accountability appears to be an ever-present issue. The job is not an easy one. They are publicly elected officials with a job to represent the interests of their constituents. For Catholic school board trustees in Ontario, they are accountable to those they serve, while at the same time, advocating for the protection, preservation and promotion of the Catholic education system.

Parents have free will to decide where their children will be educated. While several factors may influence that choice, those who chose to enrol their children in the Catholic School System, do so with purpose.

When Boards think they know better than the parents they serve

Some school boards seem to be losing their bearings. On December 7, the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) trustees will meet to choose a new Chair and Vice Chair for the Board and its Committees to lead them into the final year of the Board’s mandate before the 2022 election. Patrick Murphy and Marvin Duarte are the incumbents in the two senior positions.

The past three years have been challenging for the Board on several fronts. Board meetings have been characterized by factional divides and “dysfunctionality”.