Sooner or later, something was bound to break. It has been that type of year for the HCDSB. Meetings are frequently uncompleted, compelling the Board to call follow-up meeting to conclude its business. The focus of debates has been diverted by contentious issues that have little to do with school [academic] performance.
The Director, Patrick Daly, otherwise referred to as the Secretary of the Board, may have been at the centre of the problem – from the view that some of the issues unnecessarily may have been allowed to come forward. At the very least, initiatives where outside legal expertise was commissioned to investigate the level of dysfunctionality seemed to have been generated out of his office or that of then Chair, Patrick Murphy (with his consent; there is no indication he objected).
Last night, the Director announced his retirement, effective July 31. No reasons given. His office did not return calls.
There is no change in the composition of the Board of Trustees. Trustee Guzzo is facing twelve accusations of fraud (since 2017), all of them prompted by accusations by her former employer LiUNA Local 3000. Her case has been moved forward to 2023. LiUNA has not abandoned its accusations. She has not recused herself from any meetings or debates of the Board.
There are only six months remaining in the Board’s mandate. It is unlikely that the Board will have searched for, hired and transitioned a replacement Secretary. In American politics, this would be similar to a “lame duck” presidency.