Ousted members shouldn't get paid

The Daily News Editorial

In the latest postscript in the saga of the Halifax Regional School Board, the members who were dismissed shortly before Christmas learned they will no longer receive their stipends. The new one-man board, Howard Windsor, announced that decision yesterday.

Because the members are no longer serving the public, Windsor said, "there is little or no justification for providing a stipend."

Given the dysfunction the board demonstrated over much of its term, the length of time it's taken to reach that conclusion seems inordinately long. But Windsor said "high-quality" legal opinion was needed - especially considering that some of the former members believe their dismissal was at best illegal, and at worst a perversion of democracy.

If a lawsuit-proof foundation had to be established before the decision to rescind the stipends became final - so be it. As it is, some former members strongly dispute Windsor's right to alter the stipends in any way, let alone rescind them.

And they are contemplating legal action: not only to continue receiving the stipends, but also to overturn their ouster.

How self-serving can these people get? They should follow colleague Gin Yee's example, and return whatever money they've received since the dismissal.

The amount involved, as former board member Deborah Brunt pointed out, isn't much: $8,200 for members, $10,000 for the vice chair and $13,500 for the chair. This is part-time pay for a position with full-time responsibilities, and that's a matter of concern.

But the point is not how much school-board members are paid; it's how well they do their jobs. The Education Department decided the previous board failed to carry out its responsibilities, and took drastic action.

For that reason, the prospect of these ousted members continuing to collect their stipends until the next election in 2008 is unacceptable.

Here's hoping that if they decide to proceed with legal action, Windsor stands his ground.

Source: The Daily News, January 30, 2007
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