VSB Board of Trustees Closes Its Doors to the Public

The Vancouver School Board building | Photo Credit: Teresa Chen

On Apr. 3, former Vancouver School Board (VSB) Trustee Ruth Herman arrived at the VSB Education Centre with the intention of attending a Special Board/Committee of the Whole Meeting. She was faced with locked doors and was told the meeting could only be viewed online.

Herman hoped to learn more about the $700 million draft budget for the 2023-24 school year. The meeting was set to be the first public display of the VSB’s proposed draft budget. 

“Usually at the board meetings they have the budget documents on paper, and I find it easier to follow,” Herman told The Tyee in an interview.

Herman continued that VSB Deputy Superintendent David Nelson met her at the door, and cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the restricted meeting.

"I just expressed my shock and outrage at the situation and then I left and went home,” Herman told CTV. “And I missed some of the meeting actually because by the time I got home, the first twenty minutes were over."

“We need options for people to connect with the decision-making process,” Trustee Jennifer Reddy said to The Tyee. “​​Not everyone connects in one way. Having opportunities to meet and connect with your elected officials, I think, is part of a robust, developing democracy.”

Reddy acknowledged her own confusion on the matter, and begs the question: If she is confused as a two-term school trustee, where will that leave the public?

In a press release by OneCity Vancouver on Apr. 5, Reddy stated that “conducting what are supposed to be transparent processes behind doors that are physically locked is inappropriate and anti-democratic,” continuing that it is unacceptable that decisions with such significant implications for the district be made behind closed doors.

To close their statement, OneCity Vancouver called for the “VSB to unlock the doors and immediately reopen its meetings to the public.”

Under sections 69.1 and 69.2 of the School Act, “meetings of the board are open to the public” and “if, in the opinion of the board, the public interest so requires, persons other than trustees may be excluded from a meeting.”

VSB Board Chair Victoria Chung told CTV that during the pandemic, there were changes made in order to make meetings more accessible, and that she “want[s] to stress that [VSB] open board meetings are currently open to attendees both in-person and online."

The VSB calendar presents multiple types of meetings scheduled, such as special board meetings and committee meetings, but monthly board meetings are the only ones open to in-person public viewing.

VSB spokesperson Jiana Chow told The Tyee that in-person attendance of regular board meetings, including time for the public to ask the board questions, has not changed. She continued that Herman was not allowed access to the meeting on Apr. 3 because the board meeting dissolved into a committee of the whole meeting, which included representatives from stakeholder groups (such as teachers, administrators, and support staff).

Chow also mentioned that the public may comment on the draft budget at meetings on Apr. 19 or 26. These meetings also took place online, and speakers were to register in advance. “This actually improves the accessibility where you can join in virtually: you can join in during the time you’re registered [to speak] or you can watch the entire meeting,” she said. 

When asked about the reasoning behind the closed-door meetings, Chair Chung told CTV, “As things change post-pandemic, that could potentially change but right now that’s just the way it is.” Chung described the monthly open board meetings as an “avenue for all of those to engage.”