PARENTS DESERVE SCHOOL TRUSTEE BY-ELECTIONS
At last month’s election, Nathan Ip, an Edmonton Public School Board Trustee, was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Now, EPSB is recommending not holding a by-election to fill the vacancy and, once again, the school board is trying to defend this decision by saying that a by-election would cost too much.
I say “once again” because this is fast becoming an all-too-predictable pattern for school boards across Alberta.
In February, we filled you in on three school boards that were planning on going three or more years without their full complement of democratically elected school board members.
Had the vacancies instead been for City Councillors (or even County Councillors in tiny districts), a by-election would have been legally required.
But the law is written in such a way that a vacancy on a school board does not require a by-election - even though many school trustees in large cities represent more people than Councillors do in smaller centers!
This needs to be fixed because, when it comes to politics, democratic accountability is the only accountability we have!
If Nathan Ip decides to quit as an MLA next week, his constituents in Southwest Edmonton would get to vote to pick his replacement as their MLA.
So, why shouldn’t his constituents in Southwest Edmonton get to vote to pick his replacement as their school trustee?
School trustees are the only elected officials in Alberta who can abandon their role with almost a full term remaining, without triggering a by-election.
The Alberta government should amend the law to remove this loophole and ensure that all parents across Alberta can have the representation they deserve.
If you agree that Parents Deserve School Trustee By-Elections, please sign our petition.
Jeff ParkExecutive DirectorAlberta Parents’ Union