Yesterday, BC Minister of Education Mike Bernier fired the Vancouver School Board for not submitting a balanced budget (as required by law) and for workplace issues, apparently related to bullying six senior administrators.

The Globe and Mail’s Gary Mason saw it this way:

There is, of course, more behind the firing of the Vancouver School Board than the provincial government let the public know Monday. The other shoe in this sordid, drawn-out soap opera will drop soon enough.

But first let’s acknowledge that the government did the right thing – and likely should have done it long before now – by getting rid of a group dominated by apparatchiks of the civic Vision Vancouver party whose sole purpose was to act as an unceasing pain in the side of a government they ideologically oppose.

And be clear, the “children” for whom these Vision trustees have long purported to be fighting for have always been mere props in a larger war they’ve been waging as proxies of the provincial New Democrats. And the result has been what you might expect: turmoil, petty accusations and a stream of self-serving proclamations that they, and only they, know what is best for schools.

Unfortunately, you can’t operate a provincial education system under such circumstances. Someone has to be the adult. If every district was intent on being the obstinate, ever-defying child the VSB had become with Vision Vancouver trustees in control, you’d have chaos. The VSB wanted special treatment; insisted on acting like it didn’t have to abide by the same rules as other districts around the province. Well, the board found out Monday it doesn’t work that way.

While I don’t disagree with Gary’s analysis of Vision Vancouver’s motives and terrible track record, I am uncomfortable with duly-elected officials being fired by anyone other than the people.

That’s why I wish school boards (and city councils, for that matter) were subject to recall legislation. But they’re not.

Here’s a series of tweets I wrote yesterday:

• Genuinely torn on VSB firing. Board dysfunctional & disinterested in good fiscal mgmt, but I also hate idea of elected ppl being fired. 1/6
• I'd prefer voters do the firing at election time (or thru a recall process - which trustees shd have), not a cabmin. 2/6
• I suspect a lot is in the forthcoming report that will better illuminate Bernier's decision. 3/6
• Also leaves me pondering purpose of school boards. If basically administrative now, do they even need to be elected? 4/6
• Prov gov't controls funding, contract negotiations & curriculum. What are trustees doing (besides sometimes clashing w/ admin'rs). 5/6
• So the VSB prob deserved to be fired, but I'd prefer voters make that call. (with * that report could very well show it couldn't wait) 6/6

I guess the jury is still out on whether firing the board was the right thing – let’s see what the independent report says.