Board proposes united front on provincial bill
Powell River’s School District 47 has added its voice to a number of school districts around the province who are calling on the BC government to abandon a contentious education bill before the legislature.
The provincial government introduced Bill 11, the Education Statutes Amendment Act, in February and said the piece of legislation aims to strengthen accountability, efficiency and professional development in public education.
At the Powell River Board of Education’s April public meeting chairperson Jeanette Scott noted the intent to send an open letter to the ministry of education. She proposed that in the spirit of further developing the co-governance relationship with the provincial government the board invite Powell River and District Teachers’ Association, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 476 which represents district support staff, as well as the district parent advisory committee to work together. “Join us in writing an open letter to the ministry of education with regard to those parts of Bill 11 we see eroding the governance responsibilities of local school boards, limiting teacher autonomy and [placing] the privacy of student information in jeopardy.”
Trustees attend association AGM
Scott reported that all trustees as well as Jay Yule, district superintendent of schools, and Steve Hopkins, district secretary treasurer, attended the annual general meeting of the BC School Trustees Association, April 16 to 19, in Vancouver. A key theme that speakers touched on at the conference was building and rebuilding relationships, she said, particularly with the provincial government as part of the co-governance model for public education. Jim Iker, BC Teachers’ Federation president, Jinny Sims, MP for Newton North Delta, and David King, a former Alberta education minister under Premier Peter Lougheed, were among the notable speakers. Scott added that education minister Peter Fassbender did not attend, although members of the ministry of education were there.
Texada Elementary
For the first time in several years, Texada Elementary will have students graduating from the school. To celebrate, the school is planning on taking grade six and seven students on a year-end trip to Vancouver, June 11 and 12. The students will visit Science World, University of BC’s Museum of Anthropology and Fly Over Canada, a flight simulation attraction at Canada Place that takes audiences across the country through a 30-minute film experience.
Budget update
Hopkins reported to the board that 33 per cent of the budget remains and that the district is slightly ahead of where it was last year at this time. He predicts that, based on the rate of current spending, the district will finish the year under budget.
The district is working on an updated budget, but Hopkins said it is looking at about a $130,000-to $150,000-shortfall next year and will be required to dip into surplus funds from prior years to make up the difference and provide a similar level of services that were offered this year. The district received $20.8 million in operating grants from the BC government this year.
Boiler upgrade
The school district has received $52,000 to upgrade the heating system at James Thomson Elementary School from the province’s Carbon Neutral Capital program. The application was for three boiler upgrades, but the district was only approved to cover the equipment cost of one, Hopkins said. He added that the district is looking for quotes to do all three separately and together to see if money can be saved by bundling the project.
