Those who care about the education of our children must be disappointed with the turnout at the recent school board elections. Simply put, the turnout was dismal.

Let me illustrate with reference to Zone 5 in the Western school board.

The person who received the most votes in 2005 also received the most votes in 2009. In 2005, she received 2,880 votes; in 2009, she was also in first place but with only 446 votes.

In 2005, 15,073 votes were cast in Zone 5; in 2009 only 2,858 votes were cast. That represents about 19 per cent of the number of votes cast in 2005.

The sad thing is that not only was this predictable, it was predicted, and the minister of education was so advised. She chose not to follow the advice.

System worked

The 2005 school board elections were held in conjunction with the 2005 municipal elections. Those who turned out to vote were eligible to vote in both elections. In most zones, this could be done at one time and in one spot. In some zones, the two elections were held on the same date but not in the same location. It is true that some who turned out only voted in the municipal election, but nevertheless all who turned out were eligible and able to vote in both.

The cost of running a second and separate province-wide election to select 60 volunteer school board trustees could only be justified if it resulted in a higher voter turnout and fewer positions being filled by acclamation.

Numbers don't support separate vote

In 2005, only one seat was filled by acclamation and there were no vacancies; in 2009, five seats were filled by acclamation and there was one vacancy.

In the Western region in 2005, there were elections in six of the seven zones; in 2009, there were only four zones that required elections. Of the 60 seats available across the province in 2009, 35 were filled by acclamation, 20 were filled as the result of an election, and 5 are still vacant and will be filled by ministerial appointments. Only one-third of the seats were filled as the result of an election. I do not have province-wide comparable figures for 2005.

Of the 55 people elected, 41 or 75 per cent are male. One can conclude that the objective of gender equality was not met.

According to the Western school board, the total number of votes cast in the Western region in 2005 was 19,767. The total number in 2009 was 4,674.

I was serving on the Western board when we were informed that the then-minister of education had directed that the school board elections would no longer be held in conjunction with the municipal elections, but would be held on a date in November.

The trustees of the Western board were dismayed with this decision and asked that our feelings be communicated to the minister, with the opinion that this would lead to a severe reduction in the voter turnout.

The chair of the board wrote to the minister expressing these concerns and our opinion. Further, there was a meeting of Newfoundland and Labrador School Boards Association representatives and the minister, at which these concerns were clearly articulated.

The minister chose not to reverse her decision after receiving our advice.

In April 2009, the government issued a press release that included the following statement: "The election of school trustees for the province's four district school boards will take a new approach this coming fall, with increased funding and a renewed focus on building candidate and voter participation. The Honourable Darin King, minister of education announced the new process today, which will be supported by the Williams government's $400,000 allocation for school board elections in Budget 2009."

I understand that $400,000 was only a budget figure and that the elections may not have cost as much or may have cost more, but in any event, $400,000 is a lot of public money that could be spent in other ways to enhance the education of our children. So, the objectives to be achieved must have been very desirable.

Failed to achieve goal

The same news release stated the following: "The changes outlined will help focus public attention on the trustee elections and will be supported by a public awareness campaign aimed at attracting potential candidates, as well as increasing overall participation. In addition, the campaign will seek to increase the number of female trustees, as a means to establish greater gender balance reflective of the overall population."

I think it can be reasonably concluded that, on all counts, the objectives were not met.

Changes due

While the next set of elections will not take place until 2013, I suggest that a thorough and independent analysis of the stated objectives and the actual outcomes should be conducted very soon.

For what it is worth, my rough and ready analysis suggests that the stated objectives were not met.

I will argue that on the basis of the actual results, the minister of education should revert to past practice by holding the municipal and school board elections at the same time and in the same place. The moneys saved could be better used in the school system itself.

The voter turnout should rebound and perhaps fewer school board seats will be filled by acclamation.

Paul Wilson is a Western School Board trustee.