Brian Wightman: Inside Scotch Oakburn's decision to close campuses

It was a Sunday in March and he felt unaccustomed being in a school setting even though he astutely guides the Scotch Oakburn College Board.

The boardroom, the J.K. Powell room at the Penquite Campus of the college, is upstairs above the main administration building overlooking expansive playing fields. It comfortably seats 16 people, but with both the executive and the board in attendance for part of the meeting, the setting was crammed and tense for an unparalleled discussion.

Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania

Andrew Gray is a well-known Launceston accountant and chairman of the college board, and, like his father, he is all business. Consequently, Mr Gray, who is far from ungenerous with his time, nor unkind of spirit, epitomizes poise, for when the decision is made, it's made.

Scotch Oakburn College was one of the first in the country to instigate the precautionary closure of all campuses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike schools on the mainland, there had not been any positive diagnoses at the college although there had been the "slightest chance" that a handful of students may have had contact with a person who recently boarded a flight to Tasmania with a positive case seated a "significant distance away". However, Mr Gray said, "this played no part in decision-making".

As of March 15, Tasmania had recorded just five positive cases of coronavirus with no evidence of community transmission. Nonetheless, during several discussions on March 14 it was agreed to convene a special meeting of the board to discuss the college's response to the pandemic.

Difficult and complex decisions in school communities are always up close and personal. Rarely is it as simple as right or wrong or the facts black and white. Launceston is a small city and 'we all know each other', but the college community is even smaller. Fortunately, the board is highly experienced with a skill-set complementary to the role it must play. Members with expertise in finance, accounting, engineering, marketing and fundraising, agriculture, law, small-medium business enterprises, and a Uniting Church Synod liaison Minister make-up a formidable leadership team. However, that doesn't mean decisions are a fait accompli, rather it ensures robust discussion with the aim of reaching consensus requiring careful guidance.

The executive, together with Mr Gray and the deputy chair met early Sunday afternoon. The full board began deliberations soon after with two of its members joining via conferencing facilities due to the short notice of the scheduled conversation.

The board was brought to order with Mr Gray setting the scene outlining the process thus far, the significance of the discussion to be had, and the potential decisions to be made. There was only one item on the agenda: The college's response to COVID-19. A significant body of preliminary work had been completed by the principal and the executive team in preparation for the meeting including how the curriculum could be delivered virtually. The reality of moving to an e-learning environment had become far clearer in the hours before the board convened, despite long discussion.

The deliberations continued for well over four hours, with to-and-fro discussion considering alternatives and consequences.

As the meeting progressed, "the enormity of the decision dawned as we discussed our judgment and how we thought it would be received by the Scotch Oakburn College community", he said.

Mr Gray brought closure to the meeting at 5.30pm, with the decision made that the physical campuses of the college would close for the first time in its illustrious history. And when it became clear that those remaining required more substantial nourishment, he relented, and his loyal deputy chair was dispatched to procure food required to maintain focus.

At 7.10pm on Sunday March 15 an SMS was sent to all parents, guardians, and carers alerting them to an email which had just been issued advising of the decision. The college's director of marketing and admissions assumed responsibility for media management.

A press release and a series of communication opportunities were arranged with "the strategy to be as open and transparent on the decision as possible". Displaying perfect posture, Mr Gray appeared alongside the principal on the front page of The Examiner the following Tuesday with hastily organised and awkwardly held 'official board papers' adding further weight to the announcement. The board was confident their staff and students would be able to quickly transfer to an e-learning environment. They were also conscious that this was not a similar scenario for many others across Tasmania. Concern was also raised during the meeting of moving ahead of government and Chief Medical Officer advice, however the health, safety and wellbeing of the students, staff and the broader Scotch Oakburn College community was the number one priority. "We recognised that the decision was pre-emptive and ahead of other schools and colleges in Tasmania and discussed this as part of our decision-making. However, with our number one priority in mind, it was clear that the decision was the right one."

The campuses of Scotch Oakburn College are closed for the first time in 125 years and it's fitting that the son of a Scottish migrant is the current chairman of the board. And, of course, it was done with very little public fuss and even less fallout.

"From a board perspective, we are incredibly proud of how well our students have adapted to e-learning and the commitment of our staff to delivering the very best educational experience they possibly can," Mr Gray said.

Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.