Friday December 20, 2019 ~ WEST SHORE
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
At the December 10 board meeting of Sooke School District 62 (SD62) the trustees held an election for Chair and Vice-Chair. In a show of solidarity and support, the Board of Education re-elected Chair Ravi Parmar, while acclaiming Trustee Bob Beckett as their new Vice-Chair.
This week, SD62 announced its reorganized and new committees, where a lot of the policy discussion happens before recommendations are forwarded to the board for consideration and approval.
Bob Phillips continues chairing the Education Policy Committee (with Margot Swinburnson and Dianna Seaton as members). Among other things, the EP Committee looks at every new proposed course in detail.
The Resources Committee is now chaired by board Vice-Chair Bob Beckett (formerly chaired by Vice-Chair Seaton), with Wendy Hobbs and Allison Watson as members. This committee crunches budget numbers and deals with facility development (e.g. new schools) in detail.
The Audit Committee remains with Wendy Hobbs as Chair, with Allison Watson, member. The Governance Committee will be under Dianna Seaton’s guidance as Chair, with Bob Beckett and Bob Phillips as members. Seaton will also be the representative to the Aboriginal Education Council. A new French Advisory Committee will see Hobbs as rep. Swinburnson will be the rep to the Victoria Family Court Youth Justice Committee (Seaton as Alternate).
Board Chair Ravi Parmar sits ex-officio (non-voting) on all committees.
Committees also have stakeholder members, such as Principals and Vice-Principals, STA, CUPE, and SPEAC. Appropriate senior administrators also attend.
EP and Resource Committee meetings are generally held once a month, in the weeks preceding each monthly public board meeting.
The full board serves for 2018-2022: Ravi Parmar, Chair (5 years service); Bob Beckett, Vice-Chair (1 year service); and Trustees Wendy Hobbs (23 years service – Belmont Zone), Bob Phillips (20 years service – Milne’s Landing Zone), Margot Swinburnson (20 years service – Milne’s Landing Zone); and Allison Watson (1 year service – Milne’s Landing Zone).
SD62 school trustees are elected by the public in two zones, alongside municipal elections. The Belmont Zone trustees are elected by voters in Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin and parts of View Royal. The Milne’s Landing Zone trustees are elected by voters in Sooke, East Sooke and Juan de Fuca area out to Port Renfrew.
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This article was first published on page 2 in the December 20, 2019 Print-PDF edition of West Shore Voice News.