How much influence should trustees have in the hiring of its employees?
That is the question the Pembina Hills Public Schools (PHPS) board of trustees pondered during their May 24 meeting when they discussed the role trustees should have in the interviewing process of not only superintendents, but other senior staff positions, including school principals.
Currently, Pembina Hills Administrative Procedure (AP) 40-4 states that when hiring assistant superintendents, the secretary-treasurer or directors, the superintendent could invite trustees for their input on the development of profiles as part of the recruitment process. The AP also states the superintendent can form an interviewing committee for the purpose of hiring principals, but it says nothing specifically about trustee involvement in said committee.
However, it looks like trustees are seriously considering reviewing or enacting a new policy that would allow them to take a more hands on approach regarding hiring its employees.
We think this is a mistake. We believe there is a division between elected officials and senior bureaucracy for a reason.
The role of a trustee is to enact the policies and manage budgets. It is through these actions that guide the direction of the municipality or in this case school division. Officially trustees only have one employee, the superintendent. It is up to these individuals along with their staff to carry out those policies, including the hiring of personnel. So let them do it.
Having a trustee sit on an interview process would have been like a Barrhead town councillor sitting in while the CAO interviews candidates for a public works director.
And no offence to trustees, but if they do eventually decide that they should become involved the hiring process of senior staff, that doesn’t necessarily mean better hiring decisions. Take for instance the division’s last three superintendents. Richard Harvey was relieved of his duties in 2010 after four years and at the time the reasons were not given. The same can be said for his replacement, Egbert Stang. In the case of Harvey, the circumstances of his departure did become public after he pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000. Our latest superintendent Colleen Symyrozum-Watt, was also relieved of her duties early after trustees formed a special subcommittee to investigate allegations of bullying and harassment. The results of the investigation haven’t been released. PHPS is in the process of finding a new principal of R.F. Staples and Acting Supt. David Garbutt made an invitation for a trustee to be part of the interviewing committee, one that Westlock trustee Jan Hoffart accepted. We hope she reconsiders. There needs to be a separation between elected officials and staff.
