To the Editor:
I wish to take this opportunity to also express my concern over the ill-informed and unwarranted demotion of the principal of the Weyburn Comprehensive School, Wade Oberg.
Elected officials on the Cornerstone board of education have a very serious responsibility not only to manage the budget of the school division, but to govern over situations that arise using the rule of law and due diligence when deciding the proper action to be taken.
Experience has shown that any elected board which simply rubber-stamps decisions made by administration staff (such as superintendents and assistant superintendents) without proper investigation and following procedures outlined by the school division’s own administrative procedures is simply taking the easy way out.
Probably the most insulting part of this entire situation is that decisions were made without allowing the person whose entire career has been destroyed, after years of excellent service, to at least plead his case prior to proceeding.
It is my understanding that there was no recorded vote on the matter. To simply use such a heavy-handed approach to such a life-changing decision is not only cruel but humiliating for Mr. Oberg.
The lack of transparency to Mr. Oberg, his staff and the community as a whole smacks as a real power trip both for the board members and the underlings who so rashly made the decision to remove him from his position and ultimately ruin what is considered to have been a stellar career in the school system.
A simple statement from the board explaining the reasoning for the decision would have gone a long way to improve the confidence in board decisions, regardless of the fact that the decision was woefully mishandled.
I hope that the board will, in light of the recent concerns expressed by the taxpayers, swallow their pride and realize that this decision has done more harm than good for the school and the students.
Please do the right thing and reinstate this man as his actions had nothing to do with his ability to administer the Weyburn Comprehensive School.
Rick Wanner, Weyburn
