Notice to Community - MCK issues correction re Combined Schools Committee press release

01/18/2013

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke would like to advise the community that a press release issued today by the Combined Schools Committee contains incorrect information.

“It indicates that it is a joint release from the KCSC and the MCK – which is totally false,” said education portfolio Chief Bobby Patton. “While we agree that there is a need to hold new elections for the KCSC (due to irregularities at the November 7, 2012 Annual General Assembly), it was premature and irresponsible for the KCSC to issue this press release. We made it very clear that further discussion to best inform parents and clarify procedures was required before we could agree to this.”

According to MCED #32/2012-2013, the MCK and KCSC are delegated with the authority to work jointly to co-manage Kahnawà:ke Education until major issues such as the constitutional review and independent investigation are addressed. On January 10th, the MCK agreed to work jointly with the KCSC to have all of the pertinent information on the elections events provided to the parents to ensure that a vote to determine the validity of the elections could be held with proper and advance notice.

“The MCK’s position was, and is, to ensure parents are properly informed before any election takes place, which has not happened yet,” said Chief Patton. “Further to this, the MCK has NOT agreed that the same ‘rules and regulations’ used at the November 7th Annual General Assembly be applied to any upcoming vote, as they are highly inappropriate to be applied to this particular voting process.”

“These details need to be ironed out before an election takes place,” continue Chief Patton. “Everyone knows this needs to happen but we can’t afford to see a process that could see further problems – instead of correcting the obvious ones we all witnessed. The community needs to have a process that can help remove some of the mistrust that has been building over the past several months.”