Re - Trustee Censure

Wayne E. Goodyer | Jan 15, 2020

As a former teacher, it was heartbreaking to observe as parents struggled against the Limestone Board of Education Officials during the 2017 closure process for Yarker Family School. Board Officials refused requests for information and thwarted every effort to find some role for Yarker’s unique educational setting. At one point the Board even sent me an estimate for $126,800 for the cost to report funding on it’s Public Elementary Schools!

Subsequent to these events, I have witnessed multiple examples of the Board, under Senior Staff direction, frustrating efforts by Trustees and the public to draw the Board’s attention to issues or to improve parent and public participation in decision making. The Board even seems unable to respond to the challenges of climate change and its impact on the emotional health of our youngest.

A primary mandate of Trustees is the well-being of our students, yet incidents of bullying are dealt with by a process that often excludes the parents, if, in fact, incidents are recorded on reports to the Board at all. Meanwhile, the rate at which our youngsters are experiencing mental health challenges continues to rise. In private conversations with Elementary Teachers, my worst fears have been confirmed: the climate of fear and “top down” control has begun to permeate staff relations.

The replacement of a Trustee by secret meeting, the censuring of Trustees and members of the public, the withholding of financial data and the inability to respond effectively to issues being raised by parents left me no alternative but to register an official complaint concerning improper governance on the part of the Board of Trustees. Many aspects of the Board’s governance processes deny me, as a property owner, resident and tax payer, my democratic right to elected representation.

This ongoing situation demands an independent investigation of the Public’s concerns with respect to the Board’s lack of transparency and breaches of proper democratic governance.

Yours in Education,

Wayne E. Goodyer