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Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District Bay of Islands, says the appointment of
Nada Borden as the Chair of the Western School Board Transitional Committee
is nothing more than political patronage.
"Ms. Borden will be nothing more than a political spin doctor for Danny
Williams," said Mr. Joyce. "She is currently on the executive of the Humber
West PC Association, is the President of the Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte PC
Association and was the Chief Financial Officer for the Premier during the
last provincial election. If this appointment was based on experience, Ms.
Borden would not have been considered. It is obvious that she was chosen for
political reasons, not her track record of management or school board
related experience. There are many qualified individuals who would ensure a
smooth transition, but they were never considered.
"Ms. Borden is an accountant and has no experience in the school system
in our province. She has never served on a school board and was never
elected to a school board. Now she has been tasked with overseeing 82
schools representing 14,807 children. This is absolutely shameful and an
insult to the elected members of the school boards who have spent their time
and efforts improving the system for the past several years.
"The Premier committed during the election that he would only select the
most qualified and skilled individuals to serve on government boards and
agencies. How does this appointment fulfill that promise? Another broken
promise. This government said they would re-invest savings from school
boards back into the education system, they have since changed their mind.
Another broken promise! They said that elementary classes would be capped at
25 students, but have now cut 475 teaching positions. Another broken
promise! The only true commitment that this government is maintaining is the
bottom line and I can only assume that this is the reason an accountant is
chairing the transition team.
"It is unfortunate that this government is moving forward with a
right-wing slash and burn philosophy at all costs. I hope that Ms. Borden
realizes this when up to 75 teaching positions could be eliminated this year
in her school district, a district that now includes an area from southern
Labrador to Port aux Basques and White Bay. Instead of being a spokesperson
for Danny Williams, I hope she will speak up for the students she has been
charged with representing and put their interests ahead of her own political
agenda, which I have no confidence she will do." |