HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's Education Department has ordered a review of one of its school boards after some of its members were accused of trying to avoid a public discussion on possible school closures.
Education Minister Ramona Jennex announced the review Thursday after allegations arose that some members of the South Shore Regional School Board tried to derail an open discussion on the future of 12 schools before a March 30 meeting.
She said the accusations raise questions about the board's integrity, and its ability to work effectively and follow sound decision-making practices.
"We're going to review how decisions are made and we're going to determine if this was just a one-time anomaly or if this is a systemic problem that the board has," she said.
"I consider this to be an extremely serious situation."
There are allegations some board members carried out backroom meetings to convince others to vote against a review of the 12 schools.
Also, school board staff said they prepared information at the request of the board to help determine if reviews should be done.
But board members said that information wasn't presented to them before the vote on March 30, when members voted 10 to two not to proceed with any reviews.
The board passed motions in July publicly apologizing for its lack of process and asked Jennex to conduct a review or audit.
Board chairman Elliott Payzant said he was pleased with the decision to review the board, adding that the allegations have stymied the board's work.
"People do have a right to question just how the board functions because I think it's very improper for a public board such as the school board to make decisions behind the scenes," he said from Caledonia, N.S.
Payzant said he voted against the motion not to review any schools, adding that reviews don't necessarily lead to closure.
Jennex said they are in the final stages of drafting the review's terms of reference and expects to have recommendations within 10 weeks after it starts.
