Unions back trustee’s push for cost of Blue Jays stadium hotel stay by school board brass

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Top officials at four Thames Valley District school board unions are backing a trustee’s demand for details about a three-day retreat for 18 senior administrators at the Toronto Blue Jays stadium hotel amid a multi-million-dollar budget deficit.

During a school board committee debate Tuesday night, Lori-Ann Pizzolato asked that board officials make public the full cost of the retreat at the Marriott City Centre Hotel, formerly known as the SkyDome hotel. So far officials have refused to do so.

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“I applaud her for standing up and I hope more people stand up,” Mary Henry, president of CUPE Local 4222, which represents custodians, secretaries and early childhood educators, said of Pizzolato, the lone trustee to push for details.

“I believe the public and staff have a right to know how their public dollars are being spent in the public education system.”

John Bernans, a local leader with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said “the board should be transparent with how public dollars are spent” in instances like this.

“I agree the information needs to be shared,” he said.

Eighteen senior executives at the Thames Valley school board stayed at the hotel inside the Rogers Centre stadium from Aug. 19-21. Rooms cost $374 to $1,199 per night, hotel staff say, and the Jays were playing on all three dates.

After The Free Press reported on the retreat, Ministry of Education spokesperson Edyta McKay told the newspaper that “school boards are expected to get funding into classrooms to increase supports for students and better equip teachers.”

McKay added: “That means showing parents, teachers and community members that the school board can be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars – something this retreat has brought into question.”

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Education director Mark Fisher defended the trip, calling it “an industry standard” akin to events staff had attended for 16 years.

Monday, school board chair Beth Mai announced Fisher has taken a paid leave of absence, with the board’s former top boss, Bill Tucker, replacing him on an interim basis.

Craig Smith is president of the Thames Valley district of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. He believes Tucker’s return will bring “more transparency” at the board.

“Transparency here is an important part of rebuilding that trust,” he said. “It’s important there be transparency and accountability in public institutions.”

Added Sandra Miller, president of professional student services with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation: “Our trustees are elected officials who are responsible to the public by ensuring transparency and accountability.”

The board, with an annual budget of roughly $1.2 billion, is facing a $7.6-million deficit even after spending cuts that included 58 elementary-school and 24 high-school teaching positions along with 17 early childhood educator jobs and four positions in speech and psychological services. Funding for school field trips was also slashed in half, to $500,000.

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At their most recent board meeting, in June, Thames Valley trustees approved a motion that stated “all professional development opportunities, travel and catered events must be reviewed to ensure cost effectiveness aligns with (the school board’s) strategic plan.”

The motion also noted that “expenses must be saved where possible by considering location, transportation and catering efficiencies as required.” Trustees were not part of the Blue Jays stadium hotel retreat.

HRivers@postmedia.com

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