Are elected trustees with the Waterloo District School Board putting personal politics and self-interest ahead of working together for the good of the system?

They sure seem to think so.

In a recent survey, trustees were asked a variety of questions about their relationships with each other, board administration and other education stakeholders.

Board members were given a variety of statements, and asked to assign them scores between 1, meaning they strongly disagree with the statement, and 4, meaning they strongly agree with it.

On one of the statements – “There is a productive working relationship within the Board (characterized by good communication and mutual respect” – seven of 10 trustees marked 1. Two others marked a 2. One trustee did not respond to the survey at all.

One year earlier, only one trustee had scored that statement with a 1, while five responded with 2s – meaning they disagreed, but not strongly.

When given the statement “The Board’s capacity to govern effectively is not impaired by conflicts between members,” five trustees marked 1s, with three more delivering 2s. One trustee who responded to most of the survey statements did not answer this one.

Trustees were also given the option of anonymously answering some specific questions about themselves, their roles and the board in general.

Some of these answers may shed light on the low marks trustees give themselves for teamwork and collaboration.

Asked about the board’s limitations or weaknesses, trustees regularly pointed to signs of personal conflict harming the board as a whole.

“Politics is more important than the Board,” reads one comment.

“Trustees often act childish,” reads a second.

Separate responses bemoan “a chairperson that chooses sides” and “lack of respect of the office of the chairperson.”

Asked for suggestions to improve trustees’ relationships, responses included bringing in outside consultants, more opportunities for strategic planning, and keeping personal politics away from the board table.

“We desperately need outside mediation,” reads one comment.

“The Board of Trustees have proven beyond a doubt that we are unable to fix this toxic working environment.”