Trustees on the Prairie South School Division Board of Education voted in favour on Tuesday of allowing administration to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with New Southern Plain Metis Local 160. 

Trustee Crystal Froese brought the motion forward as a recommendation that came from the partnership and team building committee. The motion passed 8-2 with trustees Lew Young and John Bumbac opposed. 

She told the board that the Memorandum of Understanding would not bring drastic changes to the school division. 

“It's not there to impose anything, it's just to work alongside what our staff were already doing and just to, I think, highlight their history,” Froese said. 

Froese noted that the board met the New Southern Plains Metis Local 160 president Darrell Hawman before its board meeting on Tuesday to learn more about the Metis' history within the school division. 

The motion did cause some dissent among the trustees. Young felt it was too early to make a binding decision. He put forward a motion that was defeated 2-8 to have the item tabled and bring it back to the partnership and team building committee for recommendations. 

Young added that the school division needs clear guidelines when it comes to partnerships with businesses and groups. 

“We're beginning to get to the point where there's going to be more and more groups that will want to come and to partner with Prairie South and I think we need to be careful at some point that we look at our guidelines of who we actually partner with,” Young said. 

Bumbac was the other trustee that opposed Froese’s motion. He agreed with Young that it was too early to make a binding decision without more discussions as he felt there were still unanswered questions that need answers.