The Greater Victoria School District Board of Education says the district’s superintendent and other members of its senior leadership team “have gone on leave.” In a “back to school update” published on the School District 61 website Friday, the board also says it has concerns about “transactions occurring outside normal operating processes” while it was terminated. The provincial government fired the board in 2025 over its policy to keep police out of schools. Earlier this year, a legal blunder by the provincial government led it to void its orders and reinstate the board. The provincial Education Ministry failed to provide all of the documents it was required to disclose in response to the board’s petition for a judicial review of its suspension. The ministry said at the time that its lack of disclosure was inadvertent. Among the records that weren’t disclosed, according to a lawyer involved in the case, were texts between ministry officials, the Victoria Police Department, and an independent adviser who helped the board develop a safety plan. In its statement Friday, the board described the circumstances surrounding its termination and reinstatement as “unprecedented.” “Documents disclosed late in the trustees’ litigation against the province revealed undisclosed communication channels involving the ministry and the special advisor, who was working closely with district staff at the time,” the statement reads. “All of the circumstances here raise the possibility of serious governance issues affecting the district, both leading up to and following our dismissal.” Since its reinstatement, the board says it has learned that policies reporting directives and procedures related to “fiscal responsibility, accountability and student safety” were rescinded in its absence, with “no rationale provided” to the board. “Furthermore, we are concerned about the possibility of financial benefits being provided to one or more individuals who opposed the board’s stance on school police liaison officers, as well as transactions occurring outside normal operating processes,” the statement reads. “The board is in the process of trying to understand and verify what took place at the district level.” It’s unclear from the board’s statement why Supt. Deb Whitten is on leave, as well as who else in the district’s “senior leadership team” is on leave, and who made the decision that they should be on leave. “Our superintendent, as well as other members of our senior leadership team, have gone on leave,” is the phrasing the statement uses to describe what happened. “We cannot discuss the details of their leave. Regardless, the board remains committed to uncovering the facts and is hopeful that these absences do not impede our attempts to gain transparency and ensure appropriate oversight and governance practices are being followed.” The board added that the leaves have not impacted back-to-school plans for teachers, staff, students and parents. “We have very capable designates in place and the board will be stepping up to assist where appropriate and necessary and the return to school will be as smooth as usual,” the statement reads. With files from CTV News Vancouver Island’s Anna McMillan
