A Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools trustee has vacated her seat at the school board table.
Charlene McKay, a two-term member of the school board and its former chairperson, announced that she is resigning from the board effective Friday, May 31.
The former Nanaimo-Ladysmith district parent advisory council president, who successfully campaigned to be a trustee in 2018 and again in 2022, said being a trustee “provided a pathway for [her] passion to support student success. The decision to resign was not easy, she told the News Bulletin in an interview.
“In my opinion, the majority of the current board of education struggles with understanding their role within school board governance and their responsibilities as an employer,” said McKay. “I have personally found the work environment to be exceptionally unprofessional. My experiences have included targeted passive-aggressive innuendo in meetings as well as harassment, amateurish e-mail communications filled with communications toward me … and a work environment fraught with outbursts.”
McKay declined to provide specific details, but said behaviour during private meetings has been “inappropriate,” with yelling and “nasty comments” directed at other trustees.
She said the experiences have affected her health and led to a leave of absence. She said choosing to resign allows her to maintain her integrity.
“I cannot continue to be part of a board that states they value a safe work environment while not providing one to their colleagues and staff they work with,” McKay said.
Under the B.C. School Act, a byelection must take place if a trustee resigns and a chief election officer must be named within 30 days. After that, a byelection date must be held on a Saturday no later than 80 days after the chief election officer is named.
McKay said she will continue to advocate for student success through other avenues.
In an e-mail, Greg Keller, school board chairperson, thanked his colleague for her service.
“We are sorry to have received trustee Charlene McKay’s resignation from the NLPS board of education,” Keller said. “Her years of experience and dedication to learners have been valuable assets to the board and district.”
Keller declined to provide further comment.
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