One trustee with Prairie South School Division (PSSD) does not believe a byelection is necessary to replace a colleague who resigned because the board’s term expires in less than two years.
Trustees discussed holding a byelection to replace former member Todd Johnson during their most recent board meeting. Johnson resigned in November 2022 and became transportation manager a month later.
During the meeting, division administration explained that Heather Boese, executive assistant to the education director, would be the returning officer, that the byelection cost would be roughly $5,000, that the nomination deadline is Thursday, Feb. 2 and that byelection day is Thursday, March 9.
After making a motion to set the date, trustee Crystal Froese encouraged people in Moose Jaw to consider running as a trustee.
“This is a very important role in our community, and a challenging one at that, but also very fulfilling,” she added. “The work we do around this table is very important, so it will be exciting to see who will step forward … .”
Trustee Lew Young expressed concern with having a byelection, acknowledging that while it is “the democratic way,” the board has the power not to call one.
He favoured a byelection if it were to elect a rural trustee because that person represents his or her school and school community council (SCC) — and there is only of them there.
“If they were not to be on the board any longer, something would be amiss in their subdivision,” Young said. However, Moose Jaw has four trustees — normally five — while two trustees sit on each SCC, so coverage would be there.
Young’s second concern was that the board was elected in November 2020 for 48 months. He noted that the board just completed 24 months, and once the byelection is held, there would be roughly 13 months left on that term.
“Personally … I think we can function very well during that time,” he said.
Young is familiar with byelections because he first ran for the Moose Jaw Public School Division during such an event. However, one issue with byelections is voter turnout is usually low. He noted that it’s usually civic-minded people or interest groups who vote.
School divisions in Weyburn and Regina recently held byelections and voter turnout in those places was under four per cent, he added. Therefore, he thought the four Moose Jaw trustees could manage the schools adequately until the next municipal election in November 2024.
Trustees are saddened that Johnson resigned but warmly welcome him as an employee, said trustee Robert Bachmann.
The board functions well with its existing members, and while it’s unknown who the public will elect, the board must give residents the option to choose, he continued. While he appreciated Young’s concerns, it isn’t the board’s place to make that decision, while the Ministry of Education has given the division a set number of positions.
“It’s our duty to the citizens of Moose Jaw to allow them the chance to fill that role and to make sure the very best of governance occurs for the school division … ,” Bachmann added. “The cost is not prohibitive (and) it reinforces the democratic process … .”
This byelection is about ensuring Prairie South remains committed to giving the community a voice in public education while sending the message that elected trustees matter, said trustee Shawn Davidson. Meanwhile, the board wants to ensure it has a full slate of representatives at the table.
The March 9 byelection means the new trustee will serve 20 months until the 2024 municipal election, he added. This offers significant time for full representation in Moose Jaw.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 17.
