During Saskatchewan Rivers School Division board of education meetings this year, there has been a positive trend developing.
Over the past several months a few trustees have pulled matters from the consent items agenda for further discussion.
Consent items are listed to be passed without being in a meeting, for example in the most recent meeting of the board on Monday, Jan. 12, 2025 Trustee Neru Franc brought an administrative procedure change into the meeting for further discussion.
Education director Neil Finch explained that these discussions are an excellent thing to have around the table.
“And consent items at any time can be pulled out to have a discussion around. And to me, they’re healthy discussions. If someone’s got a question, they’re curious about what those are, we should have those conversations,” Finch said.
Franc was trying to gain some clarity on changes to Chief Financial Officer Jerrold Pidborochynski‘s role in approving school-based fundraising. The matter formalized his role in the approval of school-based fundraising and Franc was looking for clarity around this. In a previous meeting in 2025 Trustee Jill Brown brought financial statements from the consent items for discussion around numbers in them for clarity.
Finch said that these types of discussions help to broaden the understanding by Trustees, both Brown and Franc were newly elected in 2024, and that having these discussions helps senior administration in the division be more accountable.
“I think with senior admin, we want to be as transparent as possible with the things that are going on. And so, when trustees have questions around operational items, it’s good for us to have those discussions,” Finch said.
