Calgary Board of Education Trustee resigns citing lack of transparency
Posted Jan 27, 2020 9:55 am.
Last Updated Jan 27, 2020 6:03 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – A trustee with the Calgary Board of Education has announced she is stepping down.
In a statement issued Monday, Trustee Lisa Davis said a recent motion passed on Sunday hampered her ability to serve on the board.
Davis said that during the meeting, the board passed a motion citing “that the Board of Trustees agrees to adopt the advice as discussed in-camera.”
Davis and one other trustee voted against the motion saying the board needed to publicly address what the advice was.
“No democratically elected body can be allowed to hide information that is inconvenient or uncomfortable for public disclosure,” said Davis in her statement.
“Accountability of elected officials, of any level, is only ensured though the greatest possible transparency and through true democratic debate in public.”
Today I submitted my resignation from the CBE Board of Trustees. Sunday night at 9:10 pm the Board passed a motion that is not in the best interests of CBE and is the last straw in preventing me from fulfilling my duties.Full statement at https://t.co/RHhzZyxG67 #ableg #WeAreCBE
— Lisa Davis (@LisaDavisYYC) January 27, 2020
The resignation comes as the Calgary Board of Education is under a governance and audit investigation that was ordered by Education Minister Adriana LaGrange.
RELATED: Dire consequences possible as province launches audit of CBE
Davis submitted her resignation–which was effective immediately–Monday afternoon.
The CBE Board of Trustees responded to her resignation, saying her concerns are not that of the board.
“I really can’t speak to her reason around that, you’d have to ask Lisa. But she chose to resign,” said Chair Marilyn Dennis.
Dennis says they haven’t yet discussed the possibility of a by-election to replace Davis.
“We are confident that our current governance policies and procedures are fully compliant with legislation and strong governance practices,” read a release from the board.
“Through our policies, we strive to hold ourselves accountable to the principles of openness, transparency, and continuous improvement.”
The board says it looks forward to moving on and continuing to work together.
