St. Albert Protestant School Board trustees did not set the date for the byelection to fill the vacant chair left by Morag Pansegrau, but they are hopeful it will take place before the end of the year.
“We have not set a date because we need a returning officer. We are looking for someone to run the election,” said board chair Joan Trettler.
According to the Alberta School Act, the board must be comprised of five trustees. The byelection will be conducted in accordance with the Local Authorities Election Act, explained Michael Brenneis, associate superintendant of finance for the school board.
Nomination day will be set following the naming of a returning officer, Brenneis said. Normally an election will be called 42 days after the nominations have been filed.
The trustees are not paid a set amount but instead are given entitlements and honoraria according to the number of meetings they attend. Trustees are not expected to exceed the entitlement of $25,551. The board chair is not expected to exceed $31,875.
Honoraria for meetings are paid to the trustees at a rate of $500 per meeting per month. In addition they are paid $175 a day when they attend special board meetings, conventions, seminars and conferences.
The trustees commit to an average of eight to10 meetings a month and may spend between 10 and 30 hours a week on board business.
According to Section 82 (1) of the Alberta School Act trustees cannot be employed by the school district they serve and they must not be in a position to benefit financially from a corporation that does business with the board.
Anyone interested in being nominated for election as a trustee to St. Albert Protestant Schools may stop by the school board offices at 60 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue to pick up a three-page information package, Brenneis said.
