By Greg Nikkel
There were a number of issues behind the decision of Warren Betker to resign as one of the trustees for the City of Weyburn on the Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division, with the issue over removing Wade Oberg as the principal of the Weyburn Comprehensive School as the “last straw” for him.
Betker’s resignation will bring about a byelection to fill the vacant trustee’s position to represent Weyburn on the Cornerstone board. The nomination deadline for the byelection is Wednesday, Jan. 31. If there is more than one nomination, there will be a byelection held on Wednesday, March 7.
Betker was first elected to the board in 2014 to finish the term left vacant with the passing of friend, educator and board member Len Williams. He was re-elected in October 2016.
In an interview from Arizona, Betker was asked about why he stepped down as a trustee.
“There were several reasons. I think the game of being a board member has changed with the changes made by the provincial government,” he said, referring to the ongoing reform of the Education Act by the province, and the subsequent effects on local school boards.
A second factor is that he and wife Vickie have been spending two months over the winter in Arizona, and while he was able to take part in school board meetings via Skype, “I wasn’t as effective a board member as I could’ve been.”
In addition, two issues arose that he was very uncomfortable with, he said. “I really did not enjoy going into the strike situation, and then the whole Wade Oberg situation I found very hard to go through.”
Oberg’s removal as principal occurred as a result of an incident involving the senior girls volleyball team at a tournament in Saskatoon. He served as an assistant coach, and his daughter Payton was a team member.
As a result of the incident, which resulted in the team withdrawing from the tournament, Oberg was subsequently suspended as principal, and the suspension was upheld after a show-cause hearing with the Cornerstone board.
His treatment over this incident sparked a number of letters-to-the-editor from parents and taxpayers, questioning the process and the decision made to remove Oberg over this single incident.
“He is a friend of mine, someone I knew quite well,” said Betker, who knew him as a former principal himself before he retired as an educator.
“I didn’t agree with the outcome, and I didn’t agree with aspects of the process. At the end of the day, I had to ask myself, can I stay?” said Betker, noting that because he was a friend of Oberg’s, he declared a conflict of interest and was not able to be present to vote on the decision by the board.
“I’ve had all kinds of phone calls, and it’s not been easy, but that’s the price you pay when you’re an elected official. It goes with the territory,” said Betker.
With that said, Betker said he believes that the Southeast Cornerstone School Division is an excellent school division that has been a leader in education in Saskatchewan in many ways, with excellent teaching staff.
“I did my best to make it a better outcome, but at the end of the day, it’s a democracy,” he said.
While he disagreed with the board’s decision, Betker said, “they all did what they thought was best in this circumstance. They all take the job seriously. This was not a decision any of them wanted to make, but when you’re on a board, you have to sometimes make tough decisions. It was just that I didn’t agree with it.”
The decision of the board not to have a recorded vote was also a disappointment to him, he added.
“When you’re an elected board member, you have a duty and a responsibility to answer to the public and to be transparent. That’s why I was disappointed, as I had asked there be a recorded vote,” he said.
Asked about the role of being a trustee after having a long teaching and administrative career in local education, Betker said, “It’s an interesting one, but it’s a frustrating one at times. Certainly you don’t do it for the money. You do it because you think you have something to contribute to the education scene in Weyburn and southeast Saskatchewan.”
He added that for whoever puts their name in to run as trustee, “I think you do have a bit of input, and you certainly have your finger on the pulse of the community. It’s interesting and rewarding.”
Betker began his teaching career in 1988, and with his experience in the classroom and with administration, he was familiar with how education is set up and with many of the issues in education.
“It was an easier transition. On a diverse board of 10 people, all bring different strengths, and having someone with teaching experience is very valuable,” said Betker. “When you put those things together, you have an effective board.”
