Editor: It is unfortunate that little or no credit is being given to the current group of school trustees by those vying for a seat on the board this election, or even by some that currently hold trustee positions. Many replies to the recent questions posed to these candidates in The Times (Nov. 1) point to the board not planning or having a vision for the future needs for schools in Willoughby.
I find statements such as 鈥渇inancial accountability and planning are significant deficiencies in the district鈥� to be very misguided. Obviously, there is a significant deficit that will take time to correct, however as pointed out in the recent Auditor-General鈥檚 report, satisfactory steps are being taken by the board to correct this situation. There is no magic bullet to fix this problem and it will take more than one year to rectify.
The type of rhetoric demonstrated by some of the trustee candidates is exactly what the board of education does not need in order to continue to work cohesively over the next three years. It is negative and detrimental to a strong working environment.
Furthermore, it has suddenly become very clear that over the past five years (yes, it takes years of hard work to see plans realized), the 91原创 School District and trustees have done a tremendous job presenting a future needs plan to the province. They have successfully lobbied the provincial government, given that fact that Premier Christy Clark has just announced that two new schools are to be built in Willoughby.
I would suggest that despite the notion by some that the board lacks leadership or that enough has not yet been done, the provincial government would not be sending $50 million to 91原创 for schools if this were truly the case.
Well done and congratulations to trustees.
Richard Robinson,
91原创
