N E W
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010
W E S T M I N S T E R
INSIDE FEATURE: Queensborough Day fun ◗P11
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KICK UP YOUR HEELS Light on their feet: The Kathleen Carlsen Highland Dancers get airborne on Sixth Street as they perform in the Hyack International Parade on Saturday. The parade included more than 140 entries. See story and more photos on page 3. Jason Lang/ THE RECORD
Two trustees fail in parent ‘report card’ BY ANDREW FLEMING REPORTER afleming@royalcityrecord.com
Local students aren’t the only ones receiving report cards this spring. School District 40 trustees also had their performances graded at a meeting of the district parent advisory council last week. “The grade is based on attendance at parent council meetings, and there were only two different marks: As and Fs,” said Margot Barton, former chair of the district parent council. “I was tempted to do comments and give them privately as you would with kids’ report cards, but
we had a look at the mandate we received and decided we would be circumspect instead.” School trustee Jim Goring initially suggested the initiative for members of school parent advisory councils (PAC), which represent New Westminster public schools, to give feedback to the district parent advisory council on the performance of their school’s trustee liaison. Goring, Casey Cook, Michael Ewen and board chair James Janzen were all given As for attendance. Trustees Brent Atkinson and Lori Watt were both flunked by their respective parent advisory councils.
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“Neither of them have attended any meetings in the past two years,” said Barton. Lisa Graham, who resigned from her duties due to a family health matter, was also given a provisional F because the position she held has yet to be filled. Parent advisory council (PAC) meetings often fall on Tuesdays, which can conflict with school board meetings, held during the school year on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. “It’s hard to be in two places at once,” pointed out trustee Brent Atkinson. “I refuse to go to one just to make an appearance
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and then leave after the first 20 minutes and end up being late for a board meeting, which is my primary responsibility. If they schedule a meeting for Tuesday at seven o’clock, you’d think whoever organizes the PAC meetings would know those are the nights there are school board meetings. “It’s a good line of communication, and I’d like to be able to attend and hear what concerns they’ve got and answer any questions at the end of the meeting, but I can’t do that if they hold them on Tuesdays. We open up the lines of communication as best we can.” ◗Trustees Page 10