The Bluewater director of education and chair of the school board will be flying to Korea next month to meet with Korean school boards who might be interested in cultural exchanges with Bluewater District School Board.

In a recorded vote with two of nine trustees voting against a trip overseas, the board approved the flight and one week stay for chair Jennifer Yenssen and director Mary Ann Alton.

Yenssen and Alton told the board that this venture has been in the works since October and was originally initiated by West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles who already had Korean contacts. Alton met with Eccles, Francisco Han and Jenny Han.

Jenny Han was at the board meeting to present her thoughts on the exchange.

She said West Grey and the Bluewater area was a "perfect" place for Korean teachers and students to visit and practice English, and she said the experience would benefit both parties. She said this visit to Korea by the director and chair would not be to make any commitments, just introductions and friendships. She hopes to start a summer program in 2010.

Han will travel with Yenssen and Alton to Korea in February. All three will be staying for a week.

According to the report presented to the board, the idea is to start small with the partnership, and initially have teachers from Korea come to Bluewater for four to six weeks in the summer of 2010.

Later, the goal is to establish a summer camp program for students with West Grey providing the billeting and Bluewater providing the program. Later, there may be opportunities for Bluewater teachers to travel to Korea to teach English for a year, and eventually, there may be chances for Korean students to come to Bluewater as fee paying students, which would generate revenue for the Bluewater board.

Jenny Han has been given a Bluewater email address and business cards and named the International Education Director.

If Korean boards show interest in a commitment to a partnership with Bluewater board, officials will travel to Bluewater in the spring for further meetings.

According to the report before the board, the only cost is the $1,350 plane ticket for Yenssen to travel to Korea, which will be taken out of the chair's professional development fund.

Alton will access a staff development budget for senior administrators to pay for her ticket. The report states the Council of Ontario Directors of Education provides the finances for that fund.

There was some opposition from the board, including a comment from student trustee Brett Coburn, who thought a trip to Korea might be "frivolous" at this point. He said he would rather see new textbooks, chairs and desks at his school than see board members flying to Korea.

Trustee for Southgate and Grey Highlands, Cindy Aitken said the money for the trip wouldn't come out of the money used for textbooks.

The other student senators suggested web conferencing or the free service Skype for initial meetings.

Even though the idea started with West Grey's mayor, the West Grey and Hanover trustee, John Chapman, did not support it.

Chapman, said he wasn't against a partnership with Korea, but the timing was bad.

"The reason I don't support this is that we need to look around us," he said. "We should realize that the 10 to 12 months previous to now hasn't really been the best for Bluewater ... You don't invite company when your home is in disarray."

Ross King, trustee for Saugeen Shores and Arran-Elderslie also voted against the motion. He said he liked the idea of a partnership, but didn't want to approve a flight to Korea for the director and the chair.

Meaford and The Blue Mountains trustee Paul Wehrle said that his military background convinced him that an on site reconnaissance was always better and he supported the idea of a visit to Korea.