White shows way to a more effective meeting
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 25/01) - Anyone who has served on a board of any kind in the Deh Cho has likely met Roy White.
White, a private consultant, has visited the NWT many times over the past 15 years. Last week he completed a whirlwind tour of seven Deh Cho communities in four days, meeting with each community's District Education Authority (DEA). He said boards of every kind need training in how to operate more efficiently. Most boards have the same shortcomings, he suggested.
"They don't have a proper agenda and they meet for too long," he said. "You can do all the business in the world in two hours."
While many people associate "Robert's Rules of Order" with board meetings -- White has his own variation entitled "Roy's Rules of Order" -- any such guidelines are rendered useless if there are no procedural bylaws in place, he noted.
"So that way they don't make up the rules as they go along," he said.
White, who likes to inject humour into his training sessions, uses the analogy of a bus trip. After two hours someone finally asks the bus driver, "Where are we going?" To which the bus driver replies, "I don't know."
Board members must come prepared and ensure they understand the issues before voting. As well, they should always remember that as elected members, they must work closely with the hired administrators and employees.
"They've got to realize they're a team. It's a marriage. They've got to pull in the same direction if they're going to get anywhere," said White, a former principal, who also served as the director of Education and Communications for the Manitoba Association of School Trustees for 15 years.
Being familiar with educational facilities, he said he was extremely impressed with the quality of the Deh Cho's schools, particularly the amount of computer equipment, the ample work spaces and the staff.
"They're amazing... the people of the Deh Cho should be proud," he said. "I'd have no trouble sending my kids to one of those schools."
