Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, B.C.DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail
The Non-Partisan Association's Christopher Richardson is remaining mum on his sudden resignation as head of the Vancouver School Board, but fellow trustees say it had much to do with the way he chaired.
Mr. Richardson, a chartered accountant elected to the school board last November, announced his resignation on Monday – first to trustees in private and later at a public meeting.
He declined to explain why but said it was for "deeply personal" and private reasons. He ruled out health and family issues and said it had nothing to do with the recent audit commissioned by the provincial government recommending the closure of at least 19 schools for financial reasons.
Mr. Richardson will remain a trustee, and Green trustee and vice-chair Janet Fraser will assume the role of interim chair. The board will elect a new chair at a public meeting on June 24.
Ms. Fraser, who holds the balance of power among four Vision Vancouver and four NPA trustees, said there had been discussions about the way Mr. Richardson chaired the board.
"There had been some concerns about his role as the chair – some in public and some in private meetings," she said on Tuesday. "But [the resignation] came as a surprise on Monday."
One such concern involved the handling of a presentation before city council last week. Several trustees and councillors took issue with the fact that Mr. Richardson's presentation – which called for increasing the distance between schools and marijuana businesses, among other things – had come through a committee and was not passed by the school board.
"Good grief," Vision trustee and former chair Patti Bacchus tweeted that day. "Decisions need to be made by board at actual board meetings. We have at least [two per] month."
Mr. Richardson conceded the presentation had not been approved by the board but said it had been discussed at two committee meetings with seven trustees present – "a healthy representation," he said.
"I was taken a little aback at the insinuation that I was not speaking on behalf of the board," he said. He added that the presentation was distributed to trustees – albeit only hours before – and that anyone who took issue with it could have spoken up.
Both Ms. Fraser and Ms. Bacchus said there were other incidents, but neither would elaborate.
Mr. Richardson acknowledged that there is a fine line between providing a personal comment and speaking on behalf of the board as chair.
"I tried to navigate that as best as I could – trying, I guess, to reduce any animosity and make the tone as co-operative and collaborative as possible," he said.
Ms. Bacchus, when asked if she would consider returning to the position of chair – which she held from 2008 until last year – said she would discuss the matter with her Vision colleagues in the coming days.
"Being the chair is going to be a very tough job for whomever takes it on, and I'm not sure anyone would really 'want' to be in that role," she said in an e-mail on Tuesday. "But someone will need to do it."
Ms. Fraser said she is mulling it over as well.
"[When] I became a trustee, I felt I clearly wasn't ready to be chair," she said. "But now I've been in the position for six months, I've seen how the role works and I understand a lot better now how the board – the district – works. So it's something I'm considering."
Andrea Woo