School trustee resigns amidst turmoil

A trustee with P.E.I.'s Eastern School District has resigned, as the minister of education continues to mull over the board's future.

Elizabeth Rankin handed in her resignation to Education Minister Doug Currie Monday. Rankin represented Zone 11, which includes schools in Bluefield, Englewood, Central Queens and Gulf Shore.

Rankin did not provide any reason for her departure, and declined to do an interview with CBC News.

The school board has been the subject of controversy this month. The P.E.I. Home and School Federation has told the minister it has lost confidence in the board, calling it dysfunctional. The school board superintendent has called the behaviour of some trustees disruptive, and Currie had promised legislation to allow government to intervene.

Rankin, along with two other female trustees, found herself at odds with board chair Bob Clow and the board's lawyer at a meeting two weeks ago.

Rankin is the second trustee to step down this term. Anne Miller resigned a year ago.

There have been accusations of bullying and gender bias against the board. The chair has denied those.

Kirstin Lund with the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government is worried the turmoil will discourage women from running.

"When we do focus groups of women, we talk to women about why aren't you saying yes, why aren't you running? One of the big things that we've heard is that the idea of that aggressiveness, and in this case this allegation of bullying, is certainly a turnoff, and it's suggesting that this isn't a job that I would want," said Lund.

Another group, the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women, has written a letter to government, asking it to consider issues of gender as it decides how to deal with the school board.

It's up to the minister of education to appoint a replacement for Rankin. Board meetings have been suspended while the minister works to introduce legislation which could give him the power to dismiss the entire board.