Rainbow District School Board chair Doreen Dewar says Tyler Campbell's decision to step down as a school board trustee was not due to recent controversy surrounding emails obtained through a freedom of information request.
Dewar said she spoke with Campbell on Thursday night, at which time he told her about his decision to step down.
“He indicated that he has this new position with the city and it requires quite a significant commitment of his time,” she said. “He works with many different community partners in this role.”
Dewar added that Campbell and his wife have young family with a one month-old baby.
Campbell started working with the City of Greater Sudbury five years ago, and has occupied his current role, as director of leisure services, since early April 2016.
Chantelle Gorham, a Rainbow Board parent concerned about the ongoing accommodation review which could result in the consolidation of eight elementary schools, sent Sudbury.com 29 records she obtained through a freedom of information request.
The records contained emails and documents related to a potential soccer turf or sports dome at Lasalle Secondary School, and another potential sports dome project that would be located near Countryside Arena.
In an email to Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer on Aug. 5, 2016, Campbell said he had met with Rainbow District School Board director of education Norm Blaseg, who told him the school board had set aside $1 million for a soccer turf at Lasalle Secondary School.
Dewar said she was not aware of the email, and added it was not problematic that Campbell had met with Blaseg privately to discuss the soccer turf.
“I can tell you that he declared as conflict of interest on the matter at the board table,” she said.
But Gorham has accused Campbell of a conflict of interest, due to his handling of the matter.
“I'm disappointed the (school) board would allow this occur,” she said. “He was our trustee locally, and I think we were forever battling him because it never seemed like he was our voice. He seemed to go hand in hand with the board.”
Rainbow District School Board trustee Larry Killens said he was shocked by Campbell's resignation, and was caught by surprise when read about his decision to step down in a press release Friday morning.
“I'm deeply concerned about what I read,” Killens said, who made it clear he was speaking only for himself and not on behalf of the board.
He said Campbell was a good trustee, and that he respects his decision to step down.
“He stepped outside for something I know he loves doing, and that's helping kids,” he said.
But Killens added he and his fellow trustees have not yet had a chance to discuss the “elephant in the room” related to the allegations against Campbell.
“We as a board have not had a chance to sit down and discuss this, nor has it been brought up to us,” Killens said. “But it will. It's an elephant in the room and it's going to be dealt with.”
Once Campbell vacates his position as a trustee (he will attend a final board meeting on Dec. 13) the school board will begin a process to fill that spot.
According to the Education Act, they can choose to fill a vacancy through a byelection, or the board can accept applications and appoint a new member from that pool of candidates.
Dewar said she would prefer the board to appoint a new trustee because a byelection would be more costly.
