The South East Cornerstone Public School Division board members maintained status quo when it came to leadership selection and governance expenses during their organizational meeting that was held in conjunction with their regular open business session on Nov. 17.
The board members voted unanimously for the return of Audrey Trombley to the role of chairwoman as they did for Carol Flynn as vice-chairwoman. They will hold these positions for the next 12 months.
This reorganization came about following the installation of new board members Shari Sutter, representing Estevan; Jim Henderson, representing Subdivision 3 (Redvers, Gainsborough, Carnduff) and Melanie Sorenson, representing the City of Weyburn.
Sorenson joins incumbent Warren Betker as the Weyburn board members while Sutter joins incumbent Pam Currie in representing City of Estevan interests at the board table.
The various committee duties were assigned according to an election process and the board approved a borrowing resolution to provide up to a $20 million line of credit through the TD Commercial Bank.
Currie presented a motion to hold the line on current indemnity payments to board members, asking for the retention of a $235 per day rate of payment for trustees who put in no fewer than four hours per day on board business and no more than eight hours. Payments for trustees tending to board business for less than four hours, or for more than eight hours in a day, are adjusted on a scale that recognizes the decreased or increased time.
The trustees are also given a one per diem payment per month to accommodate the time they spend in preparation for board and committee meetings. The chairwoman is provided with two additional per diems per month in recognition of the additional time that must be spent by that office holder.
One-third of the per diems are deemed non-taxable.
That motion was also passed unanimously.
Rates for compensation for travel, meals and accommodation costs while engaged in board business, were also left unchanged.
The committees that were established included budget management, Saskatchewan School Board Association representative, Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association board representative, governance and human resources committee members plus audit committee members.
The board will be changing the days of their meetings starting next fall, organizing their general business sessions for Wednesdays as opposed to the current schedule of holding their general sessions on Thursdays.
The annual meeting of electors is scheduled for mid-February in 2017.
