Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A New Trustee’s Point of View
First Priority Always .… Advocacy for the Children
A New Trustee's Point of View December 31, 2011
Greater Victoria School District 61
Report #1
Once again I would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their support and their vote on November 19, 2011. With 13,445 votes, I feel confident to speak boldly on behalf of our children and work for the goals we see as mutually important.
On December 5, 2011 the Honourable P.M. Hubbard conducted the swearing in ceremony. At that time I swore to uphold the oath of office as trustee in the Greater Victoria School District and I again promise you I will do my very best to represent your voice at the Board table.
So we're off to a grand start!
The former Board of trustees decided to renew the contracts of the superintendent and secretary-treasurer in November rather than allow for input from newly elected trustees. This is the very process that must be changed. It only makes sense that new trustees elected by the community should have input into the goals and objectives for the next three years for the superintendent and secretary-treasurer. In January we will ask for a report on their performance review. It is my expectation that we will be able to provide input.
We have had a very unnecessary struggle to receive a copy of the source budget document which is referred to as the line by line item budget. I ran on a platform of public education… properly funded… properly managed. It is imperative that I be as fully informed as possible and this requires the line by line item budget. Our Board chairperson, Peg Orcherton, has assured me that this information will finally be available on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at our first orientation meeting.
And the good news is…
The district is providing two full days of orientation on Saturday, January 7th and Saturday, January 14th. This will allow an opportunity to meet many of the senior staff and to be provided with critical documents, policy and regulations, goals and objectives and updated on the current challenges.
Catherine Alpha was elected as chair of the Education Policy Committee. The first order of business is to refine the mandate for the budget sub committee. I will personally be inviting a wide variety of individuals to come and speak about their experiences and provide input as we determine the costs for a properly and fully funded public education system. The first meeting is Monday, January 9 at 7pm and I invite you to attend. I believe it will be held in the Board room at the Tolmie building. Please call 250-475-3212 and ask the receptionist to confirm the location.
I will be attending my first PAC meetings at various schools in our district in January. I will also be visiting schools in my assigned area which includes Mount Douglas HS, Arbutus MS, Campus View and Frank Hobbs elementary schools. I will offer to volunteer in high need classrooms that are seriously affected by underfunding. When I return to the Board table I will describe the experience of the students, educational aids and teachers in these classrooms and I hope to persuade my fellow trustees to bring back some of the $835,000 ( funds not allocated in this school year) to support these students.
Future initiatives include…
We will bring forward a broad range of motions in January 2012 to support greater transparency, improved process and more involvement by all of our partner groups. There will be a systematic review of policy and regulations.
Just a final thought…
While there are many outstanding learning experiences occurring every day for many of our students the other reality is that public education is deteriorating. As I reviewed the Superintendent's Report on Class Size and Composition (Oct. 2011) I was struck with disbelief that this government would support a funding policy that results in serious neglect of many of our children. One teacher stated, " A disproportionate amount of time by the teacher is spent in redirecting students to the task and addressing behaviour. Teachers feel unable to meet all needs effectively." I read this response over and over. A parent on a PAC executive stated, " We expect to have enough support in each class to satisfactorily manage the amount of students with IEPs. The principal has indicated that there are not enough EAs to support these classes for each full day." Why is this situation of neglect and underfunding acceptable? Where is the collective outcry by parents and community? I urge you to send a concise and clear directive to the government of the day expressing your expectation that our tax dollars will be used first for the children in our public education system. Let the Premier and the Minister of Education know that you will not vote for a party that does not put our children first. The government states that the education community is not innovative enough. All of us know, however, that there are not enough teachers, educational assistants, psychologists, speech and language therapists, counsellors, and school librarians. There is a serious disconnect between what the government of the day thinks is important and what we know is vital for our families and communities and the sense of self-worth for our children.
Please send your e-mails to:
Respectfully,
Deborah Nohr
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Annual General Meeting
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Celebrate VPEC's Achievements
and
Help Shape New Directions
Saturday, January 14, 2012 ~ 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Oaklands Community Centre ~ 2827 Belmont Avenue in Victoria
~ Free parking on the street ~
~ Refreshments will be provided ~
The meeting welcomes members/lapsed members/and anyone else interested in advocating for fully funded public education K - 12.
For more information, contact either:
Starla Anderson at 250-744-2791
or
Dale Perkins at 250-592-5487
Monday, November 14, 2011
VCPAC All-Candidate's Forum - & Shaw's profile of trustee candidates
Information found on the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Committee's website: www.vcpac.ca
The Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (VCPAC) will be hosting a second All Candidates Meeting for the public. This forum style meetings will allow the candidates to introduce themselves, and answer questions from the audience.
Tuesday, November 15th from 7pmto 9pm at Reynolds Secondary School
***********************************************************************************
Watch school trustee candidates on Shaw TV and learn more about those running in SD61 & SD62 on Shaw - Channel 11.
Tuesday 1pm & 9pm, Tuesday 1pm & 9pm
We'll post further dates as available.
The Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (VCPAC) will be hosting a second All Candidates Meeting for the public. This forum style meetings will allow the candidates to introduce themselves, and answer questions from the audience.
Tuesday, November 15th from 7pmto 9pm at Reynolds Secondary School
***********************************************************************************
Watch school trustee candidates on Shaw TV and learn more about those running in SD61 & SD62 on Shaw - Channel 11.
Tuesday 1pm & 9pm, Tuesday 1pm & 9pm
We'll post further dates as available.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Time for Some Changes - Part 7
Nov 7, 2011
By Linda Travers
In Part 5 of Time for Some Changes, I suggested it was time to change the culture of the current Board of Education. We have the opportunity to do that with the upcoming election.
For the past 3 years, I’ve attended almost all the Board of Education meetings. My overall impression is that the elected trustees just simply approve what the Secretary-Treasurer and District Superintendent suggest. One must be in attendance at meeting to see how trustees vote. It is almost impossible for a member of the public to track trustees’ voting records. The minutes of the past three years do not show who makes a motion or how individual trustees vote on motions. You’ll find the occasional reference if a trustee has specifically asked for his/her negative vote to be recorded.
I choose to elect trustees who have demonstrated and will encourage decision making in an open, transparent public process that is responsible, good for public education and makes financial sense.
Here is a brief summary of my personal choices for SD 61 trustee candidates:
(Note: VPEC is NOT endorsing candidates)
1. Edith Loring-Kuhanga – as a former trustee in SD63 (Saanich) she brings knowledge and experience in how good decisions are made. Have a look at the information in various sections of the SD63 (Saanich) website http://www.sd63.bc.ca/ compared to the SD61 (Greater Victoria) website http://www.sd61.bc.ca/default.aspx
2. Diane McNally – as a former Reading Recovery teacher, she knows the importance of early intervention for students experiencing difficulty. She understands that a year in the life of a student not receiving appropriate placement is not commitment “to each student’s success in learning within a responsive and safe environment” (SD61 Mission Statement).
3. Deborah Nohr – over the past three years, she has brought teachers and parents to Board meetings to tell trustees about the situations students face in District classrooms. She also brought invitations from ten teachers inviting trustees to visit their classrooms to observe firsthand. No current trustees accepted the invitations.
4. Peg Orcherton – the only incumbent trustee I am voting for. She believes in open, transparent governance. She has tried to get motions on the floor for discussion. The lack of a following of Roberts’ Rules of Order by the Chair has led to confusion. Often neither the trustees nor the public in attendance understand the outcome.
5. Rob Paynter – he correctly pointed out to the current trustees, unhappy with Stantec’s Strategic Facilities report, that one must have a Request for Proposal with checks and balances throughout the process.
It is not necessary to vote for 9 trustees.
The Fernwood Community Association held a Trustee Candidates’ meeting on Nov. 1 providing an opportunity to hear and ask 13 of the 16 candidates about their platforms. It was unfortunate that Trustees Holland, Leonard and Young were not in attendance.
There will be Trustee Candidates’ meetings sponsored by the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.
Wednesday Nov. 9th 7-9 p.m. at Spectrum Community School
Tuesday Nov. 15th 7-9 p.m. at Reynolds Secondary School.
I hope you will be able to attend one of the meetings to help you decide on whom to vote for on Nov. 19.
By Linda Travers
In Part 5 of Time for Some Changes, I suggested it was time to change the culture of the current Board of Education. We have the opportunity to do that with the upcoming election.
For the past 3 years, I’ve attended almost all the Board of Education meetings. My overall impression is that the elected trustees just simply approve what the Secretary-Treasurer and District Superintendent suggest. One must be in attendance at meeting to see how trustees vote. It is almost impossible for a member of the public to track trustees’ voting records. The minutes of the past three years do not show who makes a motion or how individual trustees vote on motions. You’ll find the occasional reference if a trustee has specifically asked for his/her negative vote to be recorded.
I choose to elect trustees who have demonstrated and will encourage decision making in an open, transparent public process that is responsible, good for public education and makes financial sense.
Here is a brief summary of my personal choices for SD 61 trustee candidates:
(Note: VPEC is NOT endorsing candidates)
1. Edith Loring-Kuhanga – as a former trustee in SD63 (Saanich) she brings knowledge and experience in how good decisions are made. Have a look at the information in various sections of the SD63 (Saanich) website http://www.sd63.bc.ca/ compared to the SD61 (Greater Victoria) website http://www.sd61.bc.ca/default.aspx
2. Diane McNally – as a former Reading Recovery teacher, she knows the importance of early intervention for students experiencing difficulty. She understands that a year in the life of a student not receiving appropriate placement is not commitment “to each student’s success in learning within a responsive and safe environment” (SD61 Mission Statement).
3. Deborah Nohr – over the past three years, she has brought teachers and parents to Board meetings to tell trustees about the situations students face in District classrooms. She also brought invitations from ten teachers inviting trustees to visit their classrooms to observe firsthand. No current trustees accepted the invitations.
4. Peg Orcherton – the only incumbent trustee I am voting for. She believes in open, transparent governance. She has tried to get motions on the floor for discussion. The lack of a following of Roberts’ Rules of Order by the Chair has led to confusion. Often neither the trustees nor the public in attendance understand the outcome.
5. Rob Paynter – he correctly pointed out to the current trustees, unhappy with Stantec’s Strategic Facilities report, that one must have a Request for Proposal with checks and balances throughout the process.
It is not necessary to vote for 9 trustees.
The Fernwood Community Association held a Trustee Candidates’ meeting on Nov. 1 providing an opportunity to hear and ask 13 of the 16 candidates about their platforms. It was unfortunate that Trustees Holland, Leonard and Young were not in attendance.
There will be Trustee Candidates’ meetings sponsored by the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.
Wednesday Nov. 9th 7-9 p.m. at Spectrum Community School
Tuesday Nov. 15th 7-9 p.m. at Reynolds Secondary School.
I hope you will be able to attend one of the meetings to help you decide on whom to vote for on Nov. 19.
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