There is a good chance the Oct. 21 election is the last one to take place under the paradigm we have been accustomed to for nearly 20 years.
With the dissolution of the Village of Clyde a distinct possibility within the next four years, and talk of amalgamating the town and county heating up once again, there is a good chance local voters could be selecting a regional council in 2017.
But while the potential future of our local government structure is only a hypothetical at this point, the future of the education landscape is much more certain.
At this time next year, there will be two fewer schools within the Pembina Hills school division following the closure of Jarvie School and W.R. Frose School in Fawcett.
Once that happens, it will mean Westlock’s two rural trustees will be representing three schools between them.
And that doesn’t exactly make much sense?
While it’s never particularly a good thing to be suggesting a reduction in democracy, perhaps it’s time to investigate changes to the composition of the school board.
Come September 2014, we will have seven trustees overseeing 11 schools.
That seems a bit excessive.
Compared to this time six years ago, it’s a reduction of three schools, with the closure of the schools in Vimy, Jarvie and Fawcett having occurred since the start of the 2007-2008 school year.
At that time trustees averaged two schools each, a much more appropriate number.
Pembina Hills could easily reduce its ranks by two trustees, putting in place a board with five trustees to oversee 11 schools.
Plus, when you consider that most of work trustees used to do has been taken over by the provincial government — setting curriculum, building new schools, etc. — it makes you wonder why we need one trustee for every 1.57 schools.
Yes, trustees serve a purpose. But that purpose is best realized when there is not a nearly one-to-one ratio between schools and their elected representatives.
