A former chair of the Northwest Catholic District School Board is upset it has refused his request to receive a petition he is circulating regarding the hiring of the director of education’s husband for a position at the board.
“I’m very displeased by the decision of the board. I’m totally shocked that they would not listen to the ratepayers of the district,” said Wade Petranik of Dryden.
“To deny me my democratic right to make a petition to the board on behalf of whoever signed the petition, of the Catholic ratepayers of the district, I think is just a travesty of democracy,” he added.
Petranik had hoped to present the petition to the board at its next regular meeting Dec. 4 in Dryden. But the NCDSB denied his request to appear as a delegation at that meeting in a letter dated Nov. 17, noting the issue had been dealt with in-camera (behind closed doors).
“The board has denied the request to present this petition since this is a personnel matter and will not be discussed in public,” the board wrote in a statement sent to the Times late last week.
The board acknowledged Petranik’s concerns, but denied any wrongdoing.
“Concerns have been brought forward to the board on whether all board hiring procedures had been followed with regards to the creation and selection process for the 10-week position of the Pathways Implementation Resource Facilitator Position and the selection of Maurice Bizero for the position,” the statement read.
“The board is satisfied that all board governance procedures have been adhered to,” it continued. “The director of education continues to have the complete confidence of the board.”
Petranik said the new director of education, Dr. Laurie Bizero, failed to declare a conflict of interest to trustees when her husband applied for the position of Pathways Implementation Resource Facilitator with the board.
“If you have a conflict of interest in any matter, it needs to be brought to the attention of the board immediately,” Petranik argued.
According to the board’s minutes for the regular meeting of Oct. 19, no conflict of interest was declared during the public session of the meeting.
The petition goes on to say the board failed to fully and objectively investigate the hiring process.
“My beef is with the process the board used to investigate this matter,” Petranik said. “Their job is to fully investigate the matter and report to the ratepayers as to what exactly happened, and I don’t think they did that.”
The former chair said he wrote a letter to the board dated Oct. 25, asking for an explanation as to what procedures were followed in the hiring of the new facilitator, as well as how the new position was created.
“I didn’t really get a very satisfactory answer,” he noted.
Current chair Gerry Rousseau said the board sent a letter in reply. “He was directed to go to the director with any problems or questions,” Rousseau said last week.
“I don’t think it’s a matter for the director at all. It’s a matter for the board,” Petranik countered.
The board’s letter to Petranik, dated Nov. 2, read, “the board requested of the director ‘information’ in the four areas of creation of the position, the posting protocol, the selection process, and funding.”
“We wish to assure you that the board has received and reviewed the report. It is completely satisfied that all of the board’s governance policies have been complied with,” it continued.
“They’ve asked for the director’s opinion and that’s it, and that’s not an independent review,” Petranik said.
Rousseau said the need for the position was identified at the board’s regular meeting of Feb. 17, 2004, following a presentation by David Sharp, assistant to the director, on the Students-At-Risk initiative—more than five months before Dr. Bizero started her position at the board.
The funding for the position was not secured until more recently.
An advertisement calling for applications for Pathways Implementation Resource Facilitator at the NCDSB was run in the Times on Sept. 22. It is a 10-week term position, running from Oct. 12 to Dec. 17.
In a second letter to the board, dated Nov. 12, Petranik asked for the minutes of the in-camera session of the meeting of Oct. 19 to determine the extent of the board’s investigation.
“It’s a personnel issue. We’re not prepared to discuss it,” Rousseau said.
Under the Education Act, a meeting of the board of education may be closed to the public when the subject matter under consideration includes “the disclosure of intimate, personal, or financial information in respect of a member of the board or committee, an employee or prospective employee of the board or a pupil or his or her parent or guardian,” or “decisions in respect of negotiations with employees of the board.”
“This is an issue of the board and whether the board has conducted a full investigation into this matter. It has nothing to do with personnel at this point,” Petranik countered.
“I believe the questions I asked were about process.”
The petition calls on the board to:
•commission a full and independent public inquiry into this matter and report its findings to the ratepayers of the board;
•offer all staff associated with this matter full “whistle-blowing” protection so that they can offer evidence without any fear of retribution; and
•take appropriate and immediate action necessary to restore the board’s reputation both now and for the future.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I think it’s their duty to find out,” Petranik said.
“I’ll be satisfied when the board conducts a full investigation and speaks to all the people who were involved in the issue,” he added.
“And if it comes out that everything was done above board and all the processes were put in place that needed to be put in place to protect the ratepayers and the rest of the organization from any conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest or abuse of authority, then so be it.
“I’ve been involved with that board for the last nine years. It’s a great organization and it certainly has a fantastic reputation. Hopefully it’s going to continue that way.
“But they need to do their jobs,” Petranik concluded.
The petition was written Nov. 7 and currently is being circulated in communities the board serves, including Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Rainy River, and Fort Frances.
Petranik said he will submit copies to the board, as well as the Ministry of Education and local MPP Howard Hampton.
Dr. Bizero replaced John Madigan as director of education at the board on Aug. 1, 2004, following Madigan’s retirement.
Petranik spent nine years on the board, including terms as chair and vice-chair. He lost his seat last November to trustee John Borst by two votes.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
