How much did a school board department spend on a team-building day? They won't say
Video of staffers learning to arrange flowers is 'bad optics,' teachers union says
The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is refusing to say how much was spent on a professional development day last week where communications team staffers got a lesson in flower arranging at a local farm and took a Zoom call with a public relations expert.
A video posted to the Bloomers Family Farm Instagram account shows about 18 staffers arranging flowers at the catered event in Ilderton.
"They visited the animals, enjoyed the sights and sounds of the farm, had a speaker tune in virtually for an afternoon of learning, and left with a bag of goodies from Bloomers Family Farm," the company's post said.
The post thanked school board communications manager Cheryl Weedmark for "reaching out and working with us to make the day happen."
The video also features an image of a birthday cake with "Happy Birthday Cheryl" spelled out in pink icing.
'Confusing message' union says
Craig Smith, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said members of his union reached out to him about the post. Many were concerned about the expenditure at a time when the board is dealing with an $18 million budget deficit and many teachers are paying for their own classroom supplies, he said.
"It does send a confusing message when we know the board has a deficit problem," said Smith. "There are cuts that will be made and some of them will be quite painful, and this kind of thing sends a bit of a mixed message."
Smith said while professional development and training are legitimate expenses, mixing an event with a staff member's birthday party amounts to poor optics given the board's budget pressures.
He pointed out that the current annual budget for supplies in each classroom is only $200, an amount that hasn't increased since 2000.
In response to questions from CBC News, Weedmark issued a statement about the May 29 outing. She did not respond to follow-up questions about the actual cost of the event.
The statement said the development and team-building day included a workshop presentation by communications expert Cynthia Lockrey "at a significantly discounted rate." She did not specify the rate.
Weedmark also said the event followed the sudden death of a department staff member and "represented an important opportunity for the team to come together and heal from this trauma."
The money for the event was "sourced from the department's approved and allocated professional development budget."
She said the event coincided with the birthday of a staff member and that all costs associated with the birthday celebration were not funded with public dollars "and were instead purchased by a team member using personal funds."
CBC News asked for details about the cost of the event, minus the birthday portion, but those were not provided. The school board's purchasing policy states "supply chain activities must be open and accountable."
CBC News reached out to all members of the TVDSB's board of trustees including chair Beth Mai, but received no replies.
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With files from CBC's Kate Dubinski