Deep divisions in Langley School Board had trustees tossing barbs at each other at Tuesday night's board meeting.

Last week's announcement that Cheryle Beaumont was no longer Langley's superintendent of schools, the result of a decision made in camera, widened the gulf developing in the board chosen by voters last November, when new trustees Candy Ashdown and Megan Dykeman joined five incumbents, Alison McVeigh, Rod Ross, Rob McFarlane, Cecelia Reekie, and Wendy Johnson.

Tr. McFarlane said there should be no personal attacks against board chair Wendy Johnson, as she is the representative of the entire seven-member board that makes decisions.

"Perhaps any criticisms should be directed to the board," he said.

Tr. Ross made his displeasure known after a presentation on the superintendent's report about student achievement.

"In many ways this is superintendent Beaumont's report," he said.

He had voted in favour of keeping Beaumont as superintendent.

Ross said the report shows many areas in which the district is improving under senior administration, noting, "And yet this board has chosen to do otherwise."

Chair Johnson asked Ross to confine his comments to the report, ruling him out of order when he continued.

Later in the meeting, Tr. Reekie said she is saddened by the events of recent days, asking, "Is it really more important to be right than it is to say how can I make a difference? How do we move forward as a community?"

Tr. Dykeman commented, "The electorate of Langley chose the members of this board to provide governance to the district."

She was critical of "failed candidates and others who appear inadequately aware of the governance responsibilities of trustees" whom she accused of promoting divisiveness and disrespecting the electorate.

"Shame on them for their duplicity," she said.

hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com