Nanaimo school board and city council have signed an agreement that will see the two organizations working together on initiatives of mutual interest. The collaboration agreement came out of a meeting last spring between the two parties and on top of formalizing the relationship between the board and council, it establishes a staff working committee comprised of senior staff members from both groups.
“It’s the start of good things,” said Jamie Brennan, school board chairman.
Areas of mutual interest the agreement mentions include land use planning, environmental protection, economic development, transportation and traffic management, child care and preschool, emergency planning and joint facility planning and use, where appropriate.
Brennan envisions opportunities down the road for offering joint services in schools, which saves taxpayers money in the long run.
“When it’s shared, we split the costs,” he said.
The agreement was approved by the board at Wednesday’s meeting and was expected to be approved by council at Monday night’s meeting.