May 18, 2012: At the Halton District School Board meeting of May 16, 2012, trustees opted to approve an application process to fill the trustee vacancy on the Board following the resignation of Halton Hills Trustee Gillian Tuck Kutarna. Tuck Kutarna notified trustees of her intent to resign on May 2, 2012. She will remain on the Board until a replacement has been appointed.
The process Trustees will follow in seeking that replacement will be similar to processes followed here in Halton in the past, and at other school boards throughout Ontario. The Ontario Education Act states (S.221.1) that:
… “if the office of a member of a board becomes vacant before the end of the member’s term:
(a) the remaining elected members shall appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy within 90 days after the office becomes vacant, if a majority of the elected members remain in office; or
(b) a by-election shall be held to fill the vacancy, in the same manner as an election of the board, if a majority of the elected members do not remain in office.”
This is supported by Section 38.1 of the Municipal Elections Act that states “the candidates declared elected to the school board may appoint a person to fill the vacancy at a meeting of the members called for that purpose.”
With the cost of a by-election in Halton Hills estimated to exceed $100,000, the Halton District School Board passed a motion to fill the trustee vacancy by appointment, and approved the following process:
1. A news release regarding the vacancy and appointment process be circulated to all Halton media outlets as soon as possible;
2. The vacancy be advertised on the Board’s website and in Halton Hills news media as soon as possible;
3. Applicants complete a standard application form to be accompanied by a resume, and proof of qualification;
4. The standard application form be posted on the Halton District School Board website, and printed copies be made available at public elementary and secondary schools in Halton Hills, at Halton Hills Town Hall, and at the Halton Hills Public Libraries in Acton and Georgetown;
5. Applications be accepted by the Secretary of the Board from 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2012 until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 28, 2012;
6. Confirmation of receipt of applications be sent to the email address provided on the application form, by 12 p.m. (noon) on Tuesday, May 29, 2012;
7. Qualifications of applicants be verified by the Director prior to 12 p.m. (noon) on Monday, June 4, 2012, and applicants whose qualifications cannot be verified be notified immediately at the email address provided on the application form;
8. All qualified applicants be invited to participate in interviews scheduled from Wednesday, June 6, 2012 to Tuesday June 12, 2012; and interview appointments be scheduled with the candidate via the email address provided on the application form.
9. Applicants be interviewed by a Committee of the Whole Board in Private Session, and that any participating trustee be present for all interviews;
10. While interviews are conducted in private session, names and addresses of all applicants be recorded in a report to the Board in public session. The Notice of Application form will be a public document. The Halton District School Board reserves the right to post this information and the attached resume on the Board’s website;
11. The successful applicant be announced following the final round of interviews after due consideration of the committee, confirmation of the candidate’s qualification and interest, and approval at a public meeting of the Halton District School Board;
12. The successful applicant be sworn into office at a public meeting of the Halton District School Board, following the approval of the Board’s 2012-2013 Budget.
Candidate qualifications for to apply for the trustee vacancy are listed on the
application form posted on the Board’s website at www.hdsb.ca and available in Halton District School Board schools and Halton Hills community locations, as listed above.
Section 219. (1) of the Education Act, states:
“A person is qualified to be elected as a member of a district school board or school authority if the person is qualified to vote for members of that district school board or that school authority and is resident in its area of jurisdiction. 1997, c. 31, s. 112.”
Disqualifications are outlined in Section 219 (4) of the Education Act.
For additional information, contact:
Don Vrooman, Chair
Halton District School Board
905 335-3663, Toll-free 1-877- 618-3456