Greater Victoria Teachers Association boycotts school board meetings after 2 trustees suspended

The suspension of two Victoria School Board trustees has sparked a rare non-confidence vote from the union representing Greater Victoria educators.

The Greater Victoria Teachers Association (GVTA) says its members are shocked by the decision to suspend two elected representatives last week.

This week, the association's members passed a vote of non-confidence in the board of trustees.

According to the association's president – there was no communication from the board about the decision to suspend trustees Diane McNally and Rob Paynter for allegations of harassment and bullying.

"No information about the allegations, the process, the findings, or the decision to suspend has been provided," the GVTA said in a statement Thursday.

The teachers association says that with important votes coming up, its members don't feel like they can count on the board of trustees to stick to a legitimate process.

GVTA president Winona Waldron says most teachers attend board meetings, and concerns from educators weren't flagged before.

"We hadn't been alerted beforehand," said Waldron. "I attend all of the meetings of the board and I didn’t witness something that I thought rose to the level of bullying and harassment."

"These are publicly elected officials and the right decision is for them not to be re-elected if that’s what the public wants, but that decision happens in October," she said.

The teachers association also voted to boycott all meetings of the board until the association is satisfied that the suspensions were appropriate – or until the trustees are re-instated.