Dear Editor:
The SD40 deficit situation is like a puzzle in a box with no picture on the front.
One would have to attend every meeting and read every public document to even begin to try and make sense of how our education dollars are spent.
This is a daunting task for the average constituent.
I have made repeated requests for financial information that rightly, by law, belongs in the public domain and I have yet to receive any concrete information; it is not enough that trustees make the rules, they have to follow them too.
In the face of SD40's chronic financial crises, too many outstanding district issues remain unanswered.
Just one example would be the issues and costs associated with the cemetery and capital projects. To justify the significant expense to the district (we have lost critical, valuable land mass due to the cemetery designation)
I asked the vice-chair the following question: what specific role does the district audit committee have in relation to monitoring and oversight of the allocation of capital project funds?
For example, how much SD40 staff time and dollars (in its capacity as cemetery operator) have been spent to date on the New Westminster/provincial/NWSS cemetery, and how has this contributed to our deficit status?
As inappropriate as it is for SD40 to be a cemetery operator, when can I expect an answer to my questions?
Paul Johansen, New Westminster
