So Far, the Taxpayer is Still on the Hook For Almost $ 100,000 Worth of Italian Artwork, the Travel Expensures of Four Catholic School Board Trustees who Flow to Ityy to choose it, and the public Relations Advice the Board Got in the public outcry over The spending.
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This Week the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board Confirmed It has raised Nothing from private donors to help for life-sized, hand-painted Wooden Statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, Among Other Pieces that were selected.
“To date, the Board has not received any donation of funds to offset the cost of the artwork purchased in Italy,” Said Spokesperson Tracey Austin.
Neither form flesh rick petrella – who made the $ 50,000 trip with trustees dan dignard, bill chopp and mark watson to choose artwork – nor director of education mike mcdonald would comment any further, she said.
“The provided status is the Board’s only comment,” Austin Said.
In October, Petrella Said he was “in discussions with Several Catholic Donors” who we “very interested” in Helping to Cover the Costs of the Art.
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His comments were part of a stattement where he said trustees “deeply regret the event that has taken place” and recognized they had let down the community.
“(We) are Committed to Making Things Right.”
When the News of the Italian Artwork Trip Became Known, The Board used a legal firm – Borden Ladner and Gervais more Enterprise Canada, Which Offers “Narrative and Messaging” Assistance During a Crisis – To Assist with Advice.
So Far, Those Companies have invoiceed the board $ 63,000, According to A Freedom of Information Response Obtained by the Expositor Last Month.
The Board has also confirmed that all or part of the travel Expensures of the Four Trustees Remain Outstanding Despite Stating in Octuber they would be repaid.
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“The Board can confirm that the trustees who Went to Italy Have an Established Schedule for Repayment of Connected To The Trip,” Said Austin, Declineing to Say How Much, or If Any, Monies Have Been Repaid at this point.
According to Documents Filed AT The Dec. 17 Board Meeting, Petrella, Dignard and Chopp Owed $ 12.666 Each for Expensures They Filed and Received Payment for, While Watson Owed $ 12.370.
In October, Petrella Said after “Hearing concerns” from the community, the trustees were tinging “concrete actions” to deal with the travel expensures by repaying the school board and rewriting the trustee exepense policy that allowed them to charge for airfare, hotel and meal Upgrades.
That wasn’t Enough for Minister of Education Jill Dunlop, Who Called Such Spending of Public Dollars “Appalling” and Hired an Investigator to Look Into the Ity Trip Expensures, Board Executives’ Pay, Key Staffing Changes and Any Other coming out.
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The Investigator’s Report is to be tendered by Next Month.
While Board Policies WERE CHANGE BEFORE The Italy Trip to Increase How MUCH COULD BE LADUSE, THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE CHANGES IN THE BOARD’S AGENDAS OR Minutes.
There was, However, A Spate of “Special Board Meetings” Held in the Summer of 2024 During a Time when the Board has traditionally only put Once or Twice.
The Minutes for Those Meetings Show That While Each One Included An in Camera, or Private, Meeting of the Board where there’s no indication What was discussed. Six of the Eight Meetings HELD in July and August 2024 WERE ONLY FOR IN CAMERA SESSIONS.
The Minutes Show the Agenda for Each of Those Included Prayer, Taking of Wait, Going in Camera, Moving Out of in Camera, Approving What was discussed in Camera without saying what it was, and ending with a prayer.
The Education Act Allows School Boards to Use in Camera Meetings for discussions about Property, Employee or Student Issues, and Legal Dealings.
In December, Board Spokesperson Austin Said The School Board doesn’t have to follow the same procedures as municipal councils, which are required to state the general reason they move to closed session.
The Ontario Ombudsman Municipal Recommends Councils Report back in public after the end of a closed meeting to “Increase transparency.”
@Expsgamble
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