Vancouver school trustees feud over public access at meetings

There were tense scenes at a Vancouver School Board meeting Monday night – with two trustees claiming there is a culture of secrecy.

The introduction of a motion from OneCity trustee Jennifer Reddy pushing for more public access prompted a back and forth between her and board chair Victoria Jung.

That included shouts of “point of order” from Reddy, with Jung firmly asking Reddy to “please let me finish.”

Reddy has the support of COPE trustee Suzie Mah, who claims the board has become more closed off to the public in recent years.

They point to a stat that more than 60 per cent of board meetings since 2022 have been held in private, among other concerns.

“So this motion is really about opening up the space, inviting people into the school board to hear what their concerns are, but also to respond to their needs, concerns and issues,” Reddy told CTV News in an interview on Tuesday.

That was echoed in a separate interview with Mah, who backed Reddy up at the meeting.

“What we really need is, we need to bring back people into our meetings so we can hear their voices,” Mah said.

But the board chair insists not every topic can or should be discussed publicly.

“We as a board, sit through and participate in teacher appeals,” Jung told CTV News when asked about the amount of closed-door meetings, also referencing discussions about legal issues the board must deal with.

“That is private information that we do not share. We also do negotiations and it’s important that we protect the interests of both the organization and the other parties that are involved in that negotiation.”

But ultimately, Reddy and Mah feel the status quo is too restrictive.

Under the current system, people must apply to speak five days in advance of a public delegation meeting – and the board chair has the authority to determine whether the topic is relevant to VSB business.

But Jung pushes back against the suggestion there aren’t ways for the public to have their say.

“We do have policies so that we are transparent and open, and it’s important that people understand that, so that they don’t feel like we aren’t,” Jung said, arguing trustees are available outside of meetings to take feedback from the public.

“I’m always happy to answer e-mails or forward people in the right direction.”

Members of the public will have a chance to share their views on this motion at a meeting on Jan. 20, but they must register to be a public delegation, with that due by the end of business day on Jan. 15 and subject to the chair granting approval.

The motion will also be discussed and scrutinized at a governance meeting in February.