If Education Minister Shirley Bond doesn't approve the school district's proposal to reduce the number of trustees within the next couple of days, the change won't be made in time for the upcoming school board election, says secretary-treasurer Andrea DeBucy.
The school district needs to hear from the minister by Sept. 6, she said: "If I don't hear back from her by then, it's status quo for another three years."
Trustee elections will be held Nov. 19, with a nomination period in October.
Currently, there are seven trustees on the board, one from each community on the islands. The board has proposed reducing the number of trustees to five in order to boost Haida representation. Under the proposal, submitted to the minister if June, trustees would be elected to represent Old Massett, Masset, Port/Tlell, Skidegate, and Queen Charlotte/Sandspit.
The proposal didn't sit well with some Sandspit residents, who sent a petition to the minister in June saying they did not want to share a trustee seat with Queen Charlotte.