Saying she's tired of doing the government's "dirty work," school board trustee Lois Boone has announced she won't seek re-election when voters head to the polls next November.
Boone broke the news during the board's monthly regular public meeting on Tuesday and stressed her decision had nothing to do with the fact she intends to run for the NDP in the next federal election.
"I made this decision because last year, when we were doing the school closures, I was very disturbed by what we were doing," she said.
"It's no surprise to anybody that all of us on this board were forced to make cuts that none of us wanted to do...quite frankly I don't want to do the dirty work of the government anymore."
By the end of the process, trustees closed six school and reconfigured of three others as part of dealing with a $5.2-million budget shortfall and an ongoing decline in student enrolment.
In April they passed a budget that reduced the payroll by the full-time equivalent of 20 teachers, 13 principals and vice-principals, 35 unionized support staff, six custodians, nine tradespeople and one exempt staff while the battery of psychologists and therapists rose by one.
Boone will also relinquish her position as vice-chair when the spot comes up for yearly renewal by trustees during their Dec. 7 meeting.
"I feel very strongly that anybody who does take on the position of the chair or the vice-chair should be there for subsequent years, so I'm stepping back and allowing one of my colleagues to take over that position," she said.
Boone has been a trustee for five years now in what has been her second stint on the board. Prior to being elected the NDP MLA for Prince George North from 1986 to 1991 and for Prince George-Mount Robson from 1991 to 2000, Boone was also a trustee from 1981 to 1985.
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