Edmonton public school trustees face increased workload after another resignation

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5

Trustees astatine the Edmonton Public School Board are erstwhile again divvying up the workload aft different resignation.

Marcia Hole resigned arsenic trustee for Ward C connected Friday. In a connection posted connected societal media, she cited the governmental clime and the erosion of schoolhouse committee autonomy arsenic the reasons for her departure. 

It's the 2nd resignation from the committee this year. Trisha Estabrooks stepped down from Ward D successful January to articulation striking acquisition support workers connected the picket line. She's besides acceptable to tally for the NDP successful Edmonton Centre during the adjacent national election.

The schoolhouse division's Ward H has been bare since Nathan Ip was elected to the legislature successful May 2023.

After a schoolhouse committee gathering Tuesday, committee seat Julie Kusiek offered reassurances that the remaining trustees tin get the enactment done.

"We tin perfectly proceed to bash our work," Kusiek told reporters. "And truthful arsenic a committee of trustees, we've travel unneurotic and we fig retired a mode to screen for the wards wherever the trustee vacated."

Kusiek said she has taken connected the responsibilities for Ward D portion trustees Dawn Hancock of Ward E and Sherri O'Keefe of Ward A volition correspond Ward C.

Jan Sawyer, who represents Ward I, is besides liable for Ip's duties.

The remaining trustees bash not person an casual roadworthy ahead.

Kusiek said a backing summation successful the projected provincial fund is simply a determination successful the close absorption but much wealth is needed due to the fact that of the maturation of enrolment. 

The part is besides trying to fig retired however to transportation retired a court-ordered revised ministerial bid to marque efforts to supply in-person learning options to arsenic galore students arsenic imaginable during the enactment workers' onslaught that has dragged into its eighth week.

"We are moving our precise champion to overturn each stone to spot what we tin bash to effort to resoluteness the concern and get things backmost to mean successful our schools and successful our classrooms arsenic soon arsenic possible," Kusiek said.

The resignations of Hole and Estabrooks don't travel arsenic a astonishment to Bridget Stirling. The former trustee with the nationalist schoolhouse part told CBC's Edmonton AM it's a hard clip to service connected a schoolhouse board. 

"I deliberation that determination person been immoderate problems internally with Edmonton nationalist for a while," Stirling said.

"And past I deliberation erstwhile you harvester that with the onslaught and the governmental unit from this government, it truly has created an ambiance that's truly go intolerable for immoderate radical successful presumption of their quality to talk freely and correspond their constituents."