Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board trustees successfully approved several adjustments to board bylaws at their meeting Wednesday after a failed first attempt last fall.
The 13 changes to Policy 1000 state that elections for chair and vice-chair be held annually and that at least 48 hours of electronic notice of each board meeting (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) be given to each trustee and the public.
Trustee Sandra Turco - who was elected board chair Nov. 13, 2024 - objected to an attempted discussion of bylaw changes at a special online meeting held Nov. 7.
Turco said at the time that not all trustees received emails explaining why that special online meeting was being held.
She expected the bylaw changes to be brought before the board at its December 2024 meeting.
The Nov. 7 meeting was officially adjourned after Turco stated that rules require the board chair, vice-chair, at least one other trustee and the director of education be present in the H-SCDSB boardroom for virtual meetings.
Trustee Gary Trembinski - who was serving as chair at that time - was present at the virtual meeting but not at the board office.
Fil Lettieri, H-SCDSB director of education, was also present at the virtual meeting but viewed it from Toronto.
That meeting was adjourned.
The 13 changes to Policy 1000 were passed at Wednesday’s in-person meeting at the board office with trustees and board administrators in attendance.
The most notable of those adjustments are that the election of the chairperson and vice-chairperson is done annually and that notice for every board meeting be given by electronic means to each trustee and the public at least 48 hours (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) prior to the time of the meeting and that notice will also be posted on the board website.
In addition, it was determined that matters regarding board property, personal or financial information regarding a board or committee member, employee, pupil or parent, negotiations with employees of the board and litigation or possible litigation affecting the board be discussed in closed session.
It was also agreed that all trustees must be physically present in the meeting room during a regular board meeting. A trustee may participate in a meeting by electronic means instead of being physically present in the meeting room if the trustee receives written approval from the chairperson of the board before the meeting begins.
It was also ruled that during the 12-month period beginning Nov. 15 each year, the chairperson be physically present in the board’s meeting room for at least half of the meetings of the board, and that all other trustees be present in the board’s meeting room for at least three regular meetings.