Lester B. Pearson school board names new board chair
A week after Suanne Stein Day resigned from her post as chair of the Lester B. Pearson school board, commissioner Noel Burke has been named to replace her.
The decision was made Tuesday night during an emergency meeting the board set up following Stein Day's resignation, to determine who would succeed her.
Stein Day had been on a personal leave of absence for the last seven months. Burke was the board's interim chair during her absence.
When she went on leave in April, she told CBC it was unrelated to her being found guilty of breaching the board's code of ethics.
Last week, the school board said Stein Day sent a letter of resignation indicating "the circumstances have not changed sufficiently enough for her to foresee a return."
Speaking to reporters after the meeting Tuesday, Burke acknowledged the board council's reputation has been tarnished by Stein Day's breach of ethics and the fact she was not initially identified.
Transparency 'name of the game for us'
"I have to say there has been some damage, both in terms of perception and credibility, and I think, with this, we've turned a corner," Burke said of his appointment.
Burke said the parents' committee had said it preferred to have someone from within council to replace Stein Day. Hiring an outside candidate was an option.
Burke said council would have to re-establish trust with the public.
"Good, open, transparent governance is the name of the game for us," he said.
The school board's next elections are in November 2018.
