Important educational issues debated at BC School Trustees Association’s annual general meeting

Minister of Education Shirley Bond and BCSTA President Penny Tees sign protocol agreement

Three hundred and ninety-two trustees of BC boards of education, superintendents, secretary treasurers and guests gathered in Vancouver to attend the BC School Trustees Association’s 104th annual general meeting, April 3-6 in Vancouver.

Highlights of the four day meeting included:

• Lively trustee debate of motions brought forward by boards of education around the province affecting all aspects of public education.
• Minister of Education Shirley Bond, who was accompanied by Deputy Minister James Gorman, spoke to school trustees about some of the current challenges facing education in BC. These included declining enrollment and the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators. Among the top priorities of the ministry are early learning and increasing the level of Aboriginal literacy and learning, said the minister. Minister Bond also signed a Protocol Recognition agreement between the Ministry of Education and BCSTA which re-affirmed their co-governance model of joint responsibility for BC education. Before leaving, Minister Bond thanked Penny Tees, who is stepping down after four years as BCSTA President, for her significant contribution to education in BC. The minister congratulated BCSTA Director Connie Denesiuk on her election as BCSTA’s new President.
• Provincial NDP Leader Carole James, who also addressed the meeting, reminded trustees that despite BC’s wealth too many students are falling behind. James pointed to the constant struggle for educators to get adequate funding and said that 25 per cent of BC’s children live in poverty.
• Thursday night’s keynote speaker, Bob Rae, the newly elected Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and a former Premier of Ontario, spoke on the importance of trustees and local boards of education as foundations of our democratic institutions and society. Rae said that the variety of approaches taken by individual boards of education is one the strengths of our system as it provides a wealth of ideas coming from all over the province.
• In the BCSTA elections, Vice-President Connie Denesiuk of Okanagan Skaha was acclaimed President, as noted; and Michael McEvoy of Greater Victoria was elected Vice-President. Penny Tees of Kootenay Lake will sit on the Board of Directors as Past President for a one-year term.

Eight candidates vied for four positions as director. BCSTA’s 2008/2009 Directors are:

• Melissa Hyndes, Coquitlam
• Diana Mumford,  Burnaby
• Teresa Rezansoff, Boundary
• Gordon Swan, Nicola-Similkameen

2008-2009 Board of Directors From left: Diana Mumford (Burnaby); Gordon Swan (Nicola-Similkameen); Penny Tees (Kootenay Lake); Vice-President Michael McEvoy (Greater Victoria); Teresa Rezansoff (Boundary); Melissa Hyndes (Coquitlam); President Connie Denesiuk (Okanagan Skaha); Executive Director Stephen Hansen

See our AGM photo gallery for more pictures of the event.

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Advocacy efforts pay off in attempts to get second count of refugee students

Minister of Education Shirley Bond

BCSTA and many of its education partners have been energetic in their efforts to persuade the Ministry of Education to make certain that school districts are provided with adequate funds to support new refugee students who enter schools at unpredictable times throughout the year.

In an announcement made at BCSTA’s annual general meeting, Education Minister Shirley Bond told delegates that steps will be taken to make sure refugee students are counted twice a year. As reported in a BCSTA eAlert earlier this week, the move will provide the appropriate funding needed to help settle and integrate refugee students into the regular school system.

The official announcement was made jointly by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Minister responsible for Multiculturalism on April 7.

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Former BCSTA Executive Director appointed Special Advisor to Cowichan Valley Board of Education

Education Minister Shirley Bond is responding to a request by the Cowichan Valley Board of Education to appoint a special advisor to review long-term planning and financial management of the district. Dr. Lee Southern, a former Executive Director of BCSTA, has been appointed special advisor to Cowichan Valley. Said Connie Denesiuk, BCSTA’s new President, “Dr.Southern is an ideal person for this assignment as he has a wealth of experience in management, planning and financial problem solving in BC’s education system.” As special advisor, Dr. Southern will submit a report to the Minister by May 15, 2008, that will include recommendations on long-term budget planning, management capacity, student achievement and the board's relationship with the community.

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April 25 is the deadline for online registration to Tele-PD presentation Relationships: The Fourth “R” of Schooling

The deadline is quickly approaching to register for the Wednesday, April 30 Tele-PD presentation, Relationships: The Fourth “R” of Schooling. The presentation by Dr. Shelley Hymel of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education discusses the importance of the development of social relationships in education, both as a foundation for academic and life success.

Experience this presentation without having to leave your own community! BCSTA’s Tele-PD is a convenient way for trustees to learn more about topics of interest from their own board office or elsewhere. Learn more about the April 30 presentation and how you can register.

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Models for collaboration for young children

The Council for Early Child Development is offering its fourth interactive Community Teleconference to interested community groups. If you or your community group is interested in learning more about whether school district participation in community-based Early Child Development coalitions improves the quality of services to young children and their families, mark the date (April 30) and keep an eye out for an e-mail explaining how to sign-up.

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CSBA reports on BCSTA’s AGM

Check out Canadian School Boards Association’s latest InfoPicks, which offers its own perspectives on BCSTA’s April 3-6 Annual General Meeting.

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