Minister of Education Mike Bernier (far right) joined Southern Okanagan Secondary School principal Marcus Toneatto during a visit to shop class during his visit to the region Dec. 10, the day after the board of School District 53 made a decision behind closed doors regarding the closure of Osoyoos Secondary School. Bernier also met with the board behind closed doors, but a spokesperson said they only talked about “successes.” (Trevor Nichols photo)
Education Minister Mike Bernier met with staff and trustees of School District 53 the day after they made a decision in a closed-door meeting in December about the closure of Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS).
The Ministry of Education, however, insists, “the issue of school closures was not discussed” during Bernier’s visit on Dec. 10.
Instead, a ministry spokesperson said in Bernier’s discussion, “SD 53 highlighted their programs and education successes at the meeting done as a part of the minister’s tour of the district – and other districts in the Okanagan.”
Nonetheless, SD 53 officials have previously said that’s not all they discussed with Bernier.
After his tour, Bernier met with the school board behind closed doors.
At the time, Bev Young, the superintendent of schools, said there would likely be some advocating on the district’s behalf, “but that’s not why [the minister] is here.”
In a February interview, school board chair Marieze Tarr also said: “In December we had a visit from the Minister of Education and once again we explained to him the challenges of staffing small high schools.”
The question of what happened in the closed-door school board meeting on Dec. 9, the day before Bernier’s visit, is just one of the issues raised in a petition to the Supreme Court of B.C. filed last week by the Town of Osoyoos and four parents.
“Unknown to the public, the board had already resolved to initiate the process for closing Osoyoos Secondary at an in-camera meeting held Dec. 9, 2015,” the town’s petition states. “The published minutes from that meeting state that the board ‘made a decision relating to facilities.’”
A report from staff also dated Dec. 9 said the board was proceeding with a consultation process to close one of the Osoyoos schools and it set the dates for the consultation meetings.
The staff report contains the wording of two resolutions on Osoyoos school closures that were not made public until the board held a special meeting on Jan. 13 to vote on them.
The minutes from the Dec. 9 meeting, which contain only the vague eight-word statement, “The board made a decision relating to facilities,” were not made public until the regular meeting of Jan. 27.
The agenda for a special meeting on Jan 13 to proceed with the closure consultation process simply listed the item of business as “Facilities Report,” but made no express reference to a school closure, the town’s petition says.
Asked about what was decided at the Dec. 9 meeting, Young said the decision was only to move the item forward to the next public meeting of the board to deliberate on the recommendations.
“The board was very cognizant that any deliberations regarding notice of such motions had to be in public,” said Young in an emailed reply.
The Dec. 9 meeting was the board’s first opportunity to look at the updated facilities plan along with the recommendations for each scenario, Young said.
“They asked questions for clarification, but did not deliberate on the recommendations and made no decision for any school closure,” Young stated.
On Bernier’s visit Dec. 10, he toured Oliver Elementary School and Southern Okanagan Secondary School, also in Oliver.
This was one stop on a five-day tour that also saw him visit other schools in the B.C. Interior including ones in Kamloops, Vernon, Dawson Creek and Penticton.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
