Official School District 83 trustee Mike McKay

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - The number of trustees in the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District has officially been reduced to five, down from nine.

Minister of Education Rob Fleming notified School District 83 on Thursday, March 1, he had signed a ministerial order changing the composition of the board, district spokesperson Alice Hucul says in a media release.

The decision follows official trustee Mike McKay’s recommendations to lower the number of trustees. McKay has been the official trustee since 2016 when the former nine-person board of education was dismissed by the Province. 

There will now be one trustee for North Shuswap, Sorrento and Carlin, two trustees for Salmon Arm, one trustee for Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Falkland, Silver Creek and Ranchero and one trustee for Sicamous, Malakwa, Enderby and Grindrod.

“I’m pleased with the Minister’s decision,” McKay says in the release. “The school district’s communities now know what the structure of the board will be, and individuals interested in standing for office can begin planning and moving forward.”

McKay says he’s directed district staff to develop sessions for people considering running for trustee. Information will be shared through the website and media when details are finalized.

“With the work that has been done to meet the recommendations of the Watson Report, I am confident that the district will be in a good place for the incoming board to take on its governance role.”

To arrive at his original recommendation, McKay held discussions with local area government agencies, First Nations Band representatives, and considered options at the Partner Group Table through a Working Group sub-committee. Face-to-face meetings were held and feedback was also invited from the general community online.

“Throughout the feedback process, it became clear that there wasn’t a single option that was universally supported,” McKay admits. “But after much consideration, I felt this option would best serve the communities of our district.”

Elections for the new board members will be held in October.

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