A newly elected trustee with the Nipissing Parry Sound Catholic District School Board says his first move will be to ask the Province to intervene and take over the Board.
"It is imperative that a joint report be requested by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education," Frank O'Hagan told BayToday.
He wants the Province to look into the Board trustees, former directors, administration, and senior superintendents to investigate their processes, procedures, by-laws, and governance issues. He's been an outspoken critic of the Board's hiring practices, in particular, calling them an "ongoing farce and mockery."
"We need a house cleaning of those that have used silence and secrecy. A housecleaning is due."
O'Hagan, who topped the polls in Monday's election, has been a fierce critic of the Catholic Board and administration, claiming nepotism, bad human resources practices, and poor financial accountability, and not running the system to best benefit the students. He is even more pessimistic for the next four years "given their very poor performance appraisal and lack of concrete strategic plans.
"Their policies, procedures, by-laws and governance model and strategic plans and the silence and secrecy and lack of integrity to Catholic ratepayers make a mockery of ministry mandated guidelines. Their promised meaningless resources and budget expenditures were never implemented over the last four years, and even more pitiful, their leadership is more about their own obsession for the individual and collective power, prestige, and ego of self-serving agendas and misguided priorities."
He has also been threatened by that Board's lawyer to cease and desist from further criticism.
See: O'Hagan and Catholic School Board square off on hiring practices
"More recently, on February 2, 2022, a letter you authored was published in BayToday in which you have made renewed allegations of nepotism and bias on the part of the Board. Further, you have accused the Board of abusing process and procedure, and of lacking transparency, accountability, due diligence and inclusiveness."
See: Catholic School Board displays nepotism and bias says former trustee
"In my opinion, the report will finally reveal all that needs changing," calling the old Board and administration "obsessed with their own power, prestige, and ego."
He wants special advisors appointed like those who did a report on the Near North District School Board. That report made recommendations with respect to governance, human resources practices and financial accountability to support and improve public confidence. We need to restore trust," O'Hagan said."
See: Near North Board should be 'effective, transparent and accountable' says report
"As someone who has great doubts about this ongoing farce and mockery, until the government and this Board can prove to be more transparent and accountable, this board should be taken over by the ministry and a Special Advisor' Report to the Minister be produced like the one submitted by Wayne Joudrie and Wally Easton for the Near North Districtt School Board.
"Having been elected I have trouble with their (Board's) indifference and lack of planning and leadership.
"It is critical that our local MPP (Fedeli) and the Minister take the board over until both a Special Advisors Report and Final report ensuring ministry standards are restored and confidence is assured is produced."
O'Hagan wants all separate school supporters to help him set up a list of priorities for the next four years. "Call, e-mail, write or meet to discuss how things must change and be different."
