Parent group calls for removal of 6 Hanover School Division trustees over policy concerns

A group of parents in the Steinbach, Man., area is calling for the removal of six trustees who serve on the board of the Hanover School Division because it fears some recent ideas discussed by the board — and a new policy it implemented — are discriminatory.

The Hanover Parent Alliance for Diversity sent a letter to the office of Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare raising a number of concerns, including the board's recent approval of a new hiring policy for gym and music teachers.  

"This letter is both a formal complaint against the Hanover School Board, and an urgent request for you to take corrective actions," the letter to Altomare, dated April 25, said.

On April 2, a motion brought forward by trustee Shayne Barkman to give the school board hiring authority over gym teachers and music teachers similar to the process used to hire vice-principals was passed in a 5-4 vote, board chair Brad Unger told CBC earlier this month.

Traditionally, assistant superintendents and principals of schools hire teachers, he said.

"With this motion, with this passing into policy, specifically gym teachers and music teachers will no longer be hired through the assistant superintendents and principals, although those are still allowed into the interview room, but the final say will now come from trustees," said Unger.

The alliance alleges the policy is an attempt to reduce the number of diverse and LBGTQ staff in the division, but it said the reasons given by trustees during the meeting were that music and gym teachers are the faces of the division at sporting events and concerts.

When reached by phone by CBC News on Friday, Shayne Barkman declined to articulate his reasons for introducing and supporting the motion, deferring comment to board chair Brad Unger, who was one of the trustees who voted against the policy because he felt it was redundant.

"Those were my opinions but ultimately now that it's become a board policy myself and other trustees will support the board decision," Unger told CBC. 

Kevin Martens, president of the Hanover Teachers' Association, worries the change will slow down the hiring process because trustees would have to be present for interviews every time a new gym or music teacher is hired. 

"This is a step back," Martens said, adding trustees used to be involved in hiring teachers but moved away from the job as the organization has grown.

He said normally trustees are involved in hiring superintendents, who in turn are responsible for hiring staff for schools.

The trustees "are really involved at a high level of these people who are going to be leaders in schools and leaders in communities, and then from there it's supposed to be turned over to those decision-makers to do the hiring of staff for schools." 

Martens, who was at the meeting when the change was implemented, said he finds the new policy confusing but wouldn't speculate on the reason for the change.