School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
Monday, November 10, 2014, 6:30 P.M.
SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE
425 Jermyn Avenue
Members Present
Bruce Johnson, Chair
Tracy St. Claire, Vice Chair
Linda Beaven, Trustee
Shelley Clarke, Trustee
Walter Huebert, Trustee
Ginny Manning, Trustee
Linda Van Alphen, Trustee
Also Present
Wendy Hyer, Superintendent of Schools
Bonnie Roller Routley, Secretary-Treasurer
Daniel Francisco, Director of Information Technology
Doug Gorcak, Director of Facilities
Don MacIntyre, Director of Instruction
Daphne Adey, Executive Assistant
_____________________________________________________________________
1.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Johnson called the meeting to order and acknowledged that we were on the territory of the
Okanagan First People.
2.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
2015-41
MOTION
Beaven/Manning
That the agenda with the addition of 13.5 be adopted.
CARRIED
3.
PRESENTATIONS BY SCHOOLS AND/OR STUDENTS
3.1.
Epilepsy Awareness Squad
Caitie Shaw and Dan Nixon, two students from Summerland Secondary, created The
Epilepsy Awareness Squad, connecting individuals living with epilepsy from all over the
world using social media platforms. An overview of this initiative was provided and
included information regarding their attendance at a fair in Abbotsford, an epilepsy
conference in San Francisco, and Caitie being selected as one of six Canadian flown to
Toronto for We Day. Caitie is a finalist for a World Summit Youth Award and may receive
School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
a flight to Brazil. Last week, the two students presented on epilepsy awareness at
Disneyland and later this month will speak at and run a workshop at a TEDx event. The
two have now begun a “cyberlove” site to post positive messages to friends or relatives.
Additional information can be found at http://easquad.org, http://yepnow.org, or through
Facebook.
Following a number of questions, Caitie and Dan were thanked for their presentation and
for what they are doing towards empowering youth.
3.2.
A Ted Talk: Using SmartLearning in Grade 1 and for Professional Development
Paul Kopf, a Grade 1 teacher from Wiltse Elementary and a SmartLearning
demonstration teacher for the district, described how he uses SmartLearning in his Grade
1 class. He also outlined an inquiry process he facilitated last year and will facilitate
again this year on the growth for each teacher to become a "demo" teacher. He will be
presenting at the BCSSA conference with Susan Close and is one of a team of five
presenting to superintendents and education representatives from school districts.
Appreciation was extended to Mr. Kopf for his presentation and for being a teacher leader
for the district.
4.
RECEIVING OF DELEGATIONS AND GUESTS
5.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2015-42
MOTION
Huebert/St. Claire
That the minutes of the regular meeting held on October 6 and the special board
of education meeting of October 27, 2014 be approved.
CARRIED
6.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
6.1.
Notice of Motion
At the October 6, 2014 Board of Education meeting, Trustee Beaven gave notice of the
following motion to be presented at the next regular meeting of the Board of Education:
“That a portion of the money returned to the Board as a result of the current
labour dispute be set aside in a special fund for the specific use of classroom
teachers to facilitate classroom innovation and enrichment."
During discussion, it was noted that funds are currently available in other budgets for
schools to access for initiatives and that this information should be conveyed through
administrators to teachers.
2015-43
MOTION
Beaven/St. Claire
That $30,000 of the money returned to the Board as a result of the current
labour dispute be set aside in a special fund for the specific use of
classroom teachers to facilitate classroom innovation and enrichment,
removing any funding barriers.
CARRIED
Trustee Van Alphen requested that her negative vote be recorded.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
7.
Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
REPORT FROM CLOSED MEETINGS
Chair Johnson reviewed the following items which were discussed at the closed meeting held on
October 6, 2014:
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8.
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Received correspondence;
Directed a response to the letter received regarding pro-d days;
Received a report from the finance and management committee;
Received a report on teaching, excluded, and support staff changes;
Received an update to teaching bargaining;
Directed that the superintendent send a memo to teaching staff as reviewed;
Received information related to management staff;
Received information on a legal item;
Received information on BCPSEA meetings;
Approved that a letter be sent to players involved with negotiations;
Discussed a motion to be presented to the BCSTA Provincial Council meeting and
approved a direction for the BCSTA Provincial Council representative to take when
discussing this resolution.
CORRESPONDENCE
8.1.
Correspondence Requiring Action
a.
2014-09-30 First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition
Request for boards to adopt and implement strong school board policies to
support students with diverse gender identities and expressions
2015-44
8.2.
MOTION
St. Claire/Clarke
That the request from the BC Child and Youth Advocacy
Coalition be referred to the policy committee for review.
CARRIED
Correspondence TO the Board
a.
2014-10-08 BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch
Follow-up to BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch Meeting of October 3 and 4,
2014
b.
2014-10-20 Response from Minister of Education
Response to the invitation to the Minister of Education to visit the district
c.
2014-10-10 Ministry of Education
Regarding a Provincial K-12 Homestay Guidelines Working Group to draft
recommended best-practice guidelines for K-12 homestay providers
d.
2014-10-09 Ombudsperson
Annual report to Board of Education
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
e.
8.3.
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
2014-10-29 Ministry of Education
Regarding the Service Delivery Project report and the beginning of Phase 2 of
the Service Delivery Project
Correspondence COPIED to the Board of Education
Copies of the letters to the Board listed below are available in the trustee reading file:
a.
2014-10-16 SD23 (Central Okanagan) to Select Standing Committee on
Finance and Government Services
Regarding the budget 2015 consultation
b.
2014-10-17 SD42 (Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows) to the Select Standing
Committee on Finance and Government Services
Regarding the budget 2015 consultations
c.
2014-10-17 SD38 (Richmond) to Select Standing Committee on Finance and
Government Services
Regarding making education as the first priority for the budget
d.
2014-10-07 SD46 (Sunshine Coast) to Select Standing Committee on
Finance and Government Services
Regarding input for the 2015-16 provincial budget
e.
2014-10-06 SD71 (Comox Valley) to Minister of Education
Regarding labour strike savings/sustainable funding
f.
2014-10-20 SD83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap) to Ministers of Education and
Finance
Regarding compensation freeze for management and executive staff
g.
2014-10-30 SD41 (Burnaby) to Chell and White
Regarding appreciation for bargaining
h.
2014-10-14 BCSTA to Ministers of Education and Finance
President of BCSTA to Ministers of Education and Finance regarding payment
for September 19
i.
2014-10-22 SD43 (Coquitlam) to Minister of Education
Regarding teachers' pay for September 19th
j.
2014-10-15 SD23 (Central Okanagan) to the Minister of Education
Regarding inappropriate use of BCED Plan in politically-orientated messaging
k.
2014-10-27 SD5 (Southeast Kootenay) to Minister of Finance
Requesting a progress update on Recommendations 24 to 40 from the Report on
the Budget 2014 Consultations from Select Standing Committee on Finance and
Government Services
l.
2014-10-29 SD73 (Kamloops Thompson)
Regarding excluded and exempt staff compensation freeze
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
8.4.
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
m.
2014-10-21 SD83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap) to Minister of Education
Requesting extra costs of paying teachers in their district on the same basis as
other districts
n.
2014-10-30 SD19 (Revelstoke) to Ministers of Education and Finance
Supporting BCSTA's position that government should fully and equitably fund the
eight days of teacher work in September
Correspondence FROM the Board
a.
2014-10-10 Invitation to Minister of Education
An invitation for the Minister of Education to visit the district
b.
2014-10-08 Coalition of Child Care Advocates
Endorsement by the Board of Education for the Community Plan for a Public
System of Integrated Early Care and Learning
c.
2014-10-08 to Public Sector Employers' Council Secretariat
A letter to PSECS regarding the Public Sector Executive Compensation Report
d.
2014-10-10 to University of Victoria
Confirmation that the Board of Education approved the request for Princess
Margaret Secondary School to participate in the 2014-15 Canadian Student
Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey
e.
2014-10-31 to CUPE regarding Policy No. 580 - Whistleblower Protection
Letter of appreciation to CUPE regarding comments provided to Policy No. 580 Whistleblower Protection and providing an explanation to CUPE why the policy
committee did not recommend any of the comments
2015-45
MOTION
Manning/St. Claire
That the correspondence be received.
CARRIED
9.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
9.1.
Education Committee
Trustee Beaven reported on the education committee visitation to Summerland Middle
School on November 4, 2014. Trustees viewed classes in session, attended a
Remembrance Day performance by the drama students, viewed how confident
leadership students were during their tours, and learned about random acts of kindness
initiatives. Teachers also spoke about the change of culture when teachers use a
common language.
2015-46
MOTION
Beaven/St. Claire
That the report of the education committee be received.
CARRIED
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
9.2.
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
Policy Committee
Trustee reported on the policy committee meeting held on October 27, 2014:
a.
Draft Policy No. 580 – Whistleblower Protection
It was noted that comments from the stakeholders had been taken back to the
policy committee.
2015-47
b.
MOTION
Clarke/Beaven
That draft Policy No. 580 – Whistleblower Protection be approved
by the Board of Education.
CARRIED
Policy No. 120 – Board of Education Committees and Liaisons
During discussion, it was noted that the draft policy had not been forwarded to
stakeholder groups for input. Following discussion on the importance of
receiving input on this draft policy,
MOTION
Clarke/Manning
That Policy No. 120 – Board of Education Committees and
Liaisons as amended be approved by the Board of Education.
2015-48
MOTION
St. Claire/Beaven
That Policy No. 120 – Board of Education Committees and
Liaisons be circulated to stakeholder groups as per district policy.
CARRIED
c.
Deletion of Policy No. 120 (dated November 8, 1999) and Policy No. 130
This item was referred to the next board of education meeting.
d.
Policy No. 310 – District Code of Conduct
2015-49
Clarke/Huebert
That Policy No. 310 – District Code of Conduct be approved in
principle and circulated to partner groups for any suggestions for
changes.
CARRIED
e.
Policy No. 325 – Managing a Student with Medical Alert/Anaphylaxis
Conditions
2015-50
MOTION
Clarke/Huebert
That Policy No. 325 – Managing a Student with Medical
Alert/Anaphylaxis Conditions be approved in principle and
circulated to partner groups for any suggestions for changes.
CARRIED
2015-51
MOTION
Clarke/Manning
That the report of the policy committee be received.
CARRIED
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
10.
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
10.1.
Field Trips
Director of Instruction MacIntyre reviewed the listing of field trip requests circulated with
the agenda package.
2015-52
MOTION
Manning/Van Alphen
That the field trip request for April 18 to 26, 2015 for 36 band students from
Summerland Secondary School to travel to New Brunswick to perform for
several elementary schools and visit a variety of educational sites be
approved in principle.
CARRIED
2015-53
MOTION
Huebert/Beaven
That the field trip request for May 13 to 16, 2015, for 49 grade 8 band
students from Skaha Lake Middle School to travel to Edmonton, Alberta for
a spring band tour be approved in principle.
CARRIED
10.2.
Enrolment
The superintendent of schools reported on enrolment as of October 31, 2014, noting
there are 5,932 students in the district and that final funding will be determined by full
time equivalency of students. Currently, there are ten students less than the projected
enrolment for this school year.
10.3.
Research Proposal
The superintendent advised that Naryn Searcy, a teacher at Princess Margaret
Secondary, is seeking permission to invite students in her English 10 and 12 First
Peoples classes to participate in a study to investigate the following questions:
1.
What happens when I incorporate experiential learning prevalent in Indigenous
pedagogy and perspective into a competitive, hierarchical, and individualized
Western framework?
2.
Will participation in experiential learning activities prevalent in Indigenous
pedagogy improve student engagement and performance on reading and writing
language arts tasks?
3.
Will students see experiential learning activities prevalent in Indigenous pedagogy
as equally essential and valuable as traditionally expected reading and writing
language arts activities?
4.
Will they see their use of time equally well spent in both types of learning
situations?
Trustees requested that the results of the report be shared with the Board.
2015-54
MOTION
Beaven/Van Alphen
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
Page 8
Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
That Naryn Searcy be granted permission to conduct her research project
in her English 10 and 12 First Peoples classes as part of her Master
Degree requirements.
CARRIED
11.
REPORT OF SECRETARY-TREASURER
11.1.
Trustee Election
The secretary-treasurer reviewed information related to the trustee election to be held on
November 15, 2014, noting that Julie Planiden and Linda Van Alphen were acclaimed in
the Summerland area and Ginny Manning was acclaimed in the rural area. An election
will be held in the Penticton area with candidates being Bill Bidlake, Shelley Clarke,
Theresa Hebert, Bruce Johnson, Keith MacIntyre, and Barb Sheppard. The inaugural
meeting will be held on December 1 at 7:00 p.m., and trustee orientation sessions have
been scheduled for November 25 and 27, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and all-day on
Saturday, November 29. As well, a BCSTA trustee academy will be held on December 4
through to December 6 in Vancouver. Beginning in December, the Board will be moving
to paperless meetings and board agendas will be shown on the overhead screen at every
meeting.
11.2.
Policy No. 315 – Physical Restraint and Seclusion
At the last meeting, Policy No. 315 – Physical Restraint and Seclusion was approved in
principle and circulated to partner groups until November 7 for any suggestions for
changes. Secretary-Treasurer Roller Routley advised that to date no suggestions had
been received to modify this policy. Since then, one suggestion had been received to
remove the word "serious" from the draft policy.
2015-55
11.3.
MOTION
Clarke/Huebert
That Policy No. 315 – Physical Restraint and Seclusion be referred back to
the policy committee for further review.
CARRIED
Policy No. 600 - Fiscal Control
At the last meeting, Policy No. 600 – Fiscal Control was approved in principle and
circulated to partner groups until November 7 for any suggestions for changes.
Secretary-Treasurer Roller Routley advised that to date no suggestions have been
received to modify this policy and the policy was therefore recommended for adoption as
attached.
2015-56
MOTION
Huebert/St. Claire
That Policy No. 600 – Fiscal Control be approved as presented.
CARRIED
11.4.
Statement of Financial Information (SOFI)
The secretary-treasurer reviewed the Statement of Financial Information report for the
year ending June 30, 2014, noting that the report included all staff who received more
than $75,000 per year and all businesses which were paid more than $25,000 per year.
The superintendent and assistant superintendent received contractual payouts related to
vacation which increased their salaries and payment of moving expenses increased the
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
Page 9
Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
total expenses of the secretary-treasurer. There were no excluded staff severances or
payouts in the report.
2015-57
12.
NEW BUSINESS
12.1.
Request for Letter of Support
Due to concerns about student safety and speeding vehicles, RDOS Director Karla
Kozakevich has requested that a letter from the Board of Education be sent to the
Minister of Transportation and copied to local MLA's asking for a crosswalk and improved
signage at Naramata, Kaleden, and West Bench Elementary schools.
2015-58
13.
MOTION
St. Claire/Van Alphen
That the Statement of Financial Information report for the year ended June
30, 2014 be received by the Board of Education.
CARRIED
MOTION
Manning/St. Claire
That a letter be sent to the Minister of Transportation and copied to local
MLA's and RDOS Directors asking for a crosswalk and improved signage
at Naramata, Kaleden, and West Bench Elementary schools.
CARRIED
REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES
13.1.
BCSTA Provincial Council Meeting
Trustee Huebert reported on the BCSTA Provincial Council meeting held on October 24
and 25, 2014 in Vancouver. A BCSTA Provincial Council Disposition of Motions report
was circulated to trustees. It was noted that Director of Accountability Dean Goodman
from the Ministry of Education outlined the K-12 accountability framework and that
Stephen Hansen, Executive Director, BCSTA, will be retiring at the end of the year.
Trustee Huebert also noted that the BCSTA Provincial Council passed a motion urging
the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, and BCPSEA to immediately remove the
compensation freeze on principals, vice principals, and exempt staff; authorize salary and
benefit increases to principals, vice principals, and exempt staff at least consistent with
the increases provided to other employees in the K-12 education sector over the last
number of years; and fully fund the costs of providing these salary and benefit
improvements.
13.2.
BCSTA Trustee Academy
The BCSTA 2014 Trustee Academy will take place December 4 to 6, 2014 at the Hyatt
Regency Vancouver.
13.3.
BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch Meeting
There will be a BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch meeting at the December Academy
to hold a "by-election" for the position of Branch Education Representative/Chair and
Branch Resolution Committee Chair. The term for these positions will be from December
2014 to April 2015.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
14.
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Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 10, 2014
13.4.
Trustee Comments
Trustees Huebert, Beaven, and St. Claire commented on items covered during their term
as a school trustee and expressed appreciation to all staff for their efforts towards
education.
13.5.
BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch Meeting
Information has been received from the BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch that if
districts have resolutions for the BCSTA AGM that boards would like to be branch
motions, they must be submitted to the branch resolutions committee by December 1.
INFORMATION ITEMS
14.1.
Recognition of Student Success
School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) extended congratulations to the students and
groups for outstanding examples of success as shown on the listing circulated with the
agenda package.
14.2.
Recognition of Student Artwork
Congratulations were extended to the students from Queen's Park Elementary School for
their artwork currently on display at the school board office.
14.3.
Date of Next Meetings
 December 1, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Inaugural Board of Education Meeting, School
Board Office
 December 8, 2014, 6:30 p.m., Regular Board of Education Meeting, School
Board Office
15.
QUESTION PERIOD
There were no media or questions/comments from the audience.
16.
ADJOURNMENT
2015-59
MOTION
Huebert/Beaven
That the meeting be adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
CARRIED
________________________________
Bruce Johnson, Chairperson
___________________________________
Bonnie Roller Routley, Secretary-Treasurer
November 25, 2014
Ref: http://esc01-00-0/Board of Education_Nov10_2014/eSCRIBE Documents/Post-Meeting Minutes - Board of Education_Nov10_2014 - English.docx
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