Trustee MaryAnn Mortensen was elected to New Westminster's board of education last year, but she still feels like an outsider looking in.
Mortensen went from being a member of the district parent advisory council, which at times had acrimonious relations with the board, to being elected as a member of Voice New Westminster, a group that formed to provide an alternative to union-endorsed local politicians.
What she's found since she won her seat is there is an imbalance on the board.
"Symmetry is a huge issue on our board," Mortensen said. "It would appear that some are aware of what's going on more than others.
"I think that information is not shared equally among board members," she said. "We know that there is an issue on our board; I think it's trust. There's lack of trust on the district labour side and there's lack of trust on the Voice side. I don't know that we're going to change that."
Mortensen said some in the district still see her as a member of the parent council, and not an elected trustee.
"I think that's completely not OK. I'm now a board member, and I expect to be treated like a board member," she said.
"But I don't think I'm alone in this," she added, clearly alluding to her Voice counterparts Lisa Graham and Casey Cook, who are also members of the seven-person board.
The labour-endorsed trustees outnumber the Voice trustees.
Mortensen may have gone from spectator to a sitting member of the board, but she's still struggling for information, especially after a public presentation on the district's $2.8-million surprise deficit.
Mortensen said she wasn't given any information about the meeting.
Union and district parent advisory council members were given an update on the presentation before the public and trustees, Mortensen said.
"The first time I saw that presentation was ... as I walked in the door," she said.
As a result of last week's meeting, Mortensen planned to make a motion last night (after Record deadlines) calling for staff to consult with all trustees prior to public consultation meetings and to provide information regarding these meetings (and background information) to trustees in a timely manner.
Mortensen's rationale stated that at the Oct.16 budget workshop meeting, trustees were not informed, nor were they consulted on the form and finalized content of the public open meeting in a timely manner.
"To have effective consultation and information meetings, trustees must be consulted prior to these meetings and have information provided to them in a timely manner," she wrote.
The meeting was criticized by some attendees for not providing enough information about the district's hefty surprise deficit, which only came to light after the board of education passed what it thought was a balanced budget last spring.
"There was good information there, but I don't know how we can expect anyone to provide input on a deficit without knowing the drivers of the deficit and without understanding the areas of over expenditure," Mortensen said about the meeting.
As for the deficit, Mortensen said, fault ultimately fell with the board.
"I really feel like as a board we failed the public," she said. "It stops with us."
Trustees Ewen and Janzen said information is distributed equitably across the board. They both said they didn't have any more information than other trustees before last week's meeting.
"James and I involve ourselves more, but that's the role of chair and vice-chair," Ewen said.
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