BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 67 (OKANAGAN SKAHA)
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
HELD ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2004, AT 7:30 P.M.
AT THE SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE
MINUTES
IN ATTENDANCE
C. Denesiuk, Chair
D. E. Jamieson, Vice Chair
K. Lindstrom, Trustee
L. Little, Trustee
G. Manning, Trustee
D. Shunter, Trustee
G. Doi, Superintendent of Schools
F. Regehr, Secretary-Treasurer
D. Stigant, Assistant Superintendent
R. Shongrunden, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
G. Schafer, Director of Instruction
J. Hickling, Director of Maintenance
D. Burgoyne, District Principal
D. Adey, Executive Secretary
1.0
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Denesiuk welcomed district staff, guests, and representatives of the media and
congratulated Zoë Magnus on being elected as the president of CUPE Local 523.
2.0
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
MOTION:
Little/Shunter that the agenda be amended to move the presentation of the Early
French Immersion Feasibility Study following Item 6.0.
CARRIED
3.0
PRESENTATIONS BY SCHOOLS AND/OR STUDENTS
Chairman Denesiuk acknowledged the efforts of the grade 3 student from Wiltse Elementary
School who invited all grade 3 students to his birthday party and donated the presents he
received to the Salvation Army. This event was highlighted in the CHBC-TV evening news earlier
in the evening.
4.0
RECEIVING OF DELEGATIONS AND GUESTS
4.1
Okanagan Skaha Parents for French
On behalf of the Okanagan Skaha Parents for French, Ms. Jane Theilmann, OkanaganSkaha Chapter, and Ms. Melanie Tighe-Lovsin, BC-Yukon Branch, made a presentation to
the school board regarding the introduction of Early French Immersion to the district. The
presentation outlined the benefits of French Immersion, the support and interest for the
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Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
program expressed by parents, available government support, and the success of the
district’s Late French Immersion program. The Okanagan-Skaha Chapter is proposing that
the school district establish in September 2005 a new Early French Immersion program
starting at kindergarten or grade 1 if numbers warrant.
5.0
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
MOTION:
Manning/Shunter that the regular meeting held on October 4, 2004 be approved.
CARRIED
6.0
REPORT FROM CLOSED MEETING
The secretary-treasurer reported on the closed meeting held on October 4, 2004:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
10.0
received a report from the education committee;
approved teaching, excluded, and CUPE staff changes;
received information regarding the development of the five-year capital plan;
received information related to an upcoming meeting;
received information regarding personnel;
received information regarding student suspensions;
reviewed timelines regarding a feasibility study.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
10.3.b.
Early French Immersion Feasibility Study
Assistant Superintendent Stigant reviewed a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Early
French Immersion Feasibility Study 2004”. The study addressed the advantages of the
Early French Immersion program, the impact the program could have on the Late
French Immersion program already in the district, cost implications, facility
considerations, and staffing implications. Mr. Stigant outlined the steps to reach a
decision and reported community input meetings are scheduled for November 16 and
17, 7:00 p.m., at Uplands and Giant’s Head Elementary schools respectively. The
Board will review the report at the November 29 education committee meeting and
consider recommendations at the December 15th school board meeting with a final
Board decision at the January 10, 2005 school board meeting.
MOTION:
7.0
Little/Shunter that the Early French Immersion Feasibility Study be
received and referred to the education committee for review.
CARRIED
CORRESPONDENCE
7.1
Letter from Bert and Sheila White
A letter received from Bert and Sheila White requesting the retention of the Penticton
Secondary School auditorium.
7.2
Letter from BC Coalition for School Libraries
A letter received from the BC Coalition for School Libraries introducing the organization
and providing information that will be distributed throughout the province.
7.3
Letter from Penticton Academy of Music
A letter from the Penticton Academy of Music requesting support for their search for a
new permanent home and asking that the school district consider their needs when
assessing the potential use of unused school district buildings or space.
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7.4
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 39 (Vancouver) to the Minister of
Education expressing concerns about the current policy regarding funding for all day
kindergarten students and urging the Minister of Education to reconsider the funding
criteria for all day kindergarten classes.
7.5
Copy of Education Funding Brief to Select Standing Committee
A copy of the Education Funding Brief forwarded by the Okanagan Skaha Teachers’
Union to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.
7.6
Copy of Letter to Member of Parliament
A copy of the letter forwarded by School District No. 35 (Langley) to their Member of
Parliament asking for support in their efforts to continue to seek exemption from the
goods and services tax for public elementary and secondary schools.
7.7
Copy of Letter to Provincial Revenue Minister
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) to the
Provincial Revenue Minister supporting School District 61’s request of a simplified
provincial sales tax rebate process for parent advisory council funded purchases for
schools.
MOTION:
8.0
Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
Shunter/Lindstrom that the correspondence be received and that the letter
from the Penticton Academy of Music be referred to the buildings, grounds,
safety and transportation committee.
CARRIED
REPORT OF COMMITTEES
8.1
Committee of the Whole
Chairman Denesiuk provided information from the committee of the whole meetings:
a.
Meeting held on October 19, 2004
1.
Rental Review
The secretary-treasurer reviewed a summary of practices and issues
prepared for the rental review. Trustees discussed a number of items
regarding future consideration of rental practices. It was suggested the
secretary-treasurer review the following areas and report back at a future
meeting:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A rental rate increase has not been approved for many years and should
now be considered.
The rental rates charged by the municipalities in our school district
should be referenced in establishing our rates.
Rates for out-of-town teams using fields for tournament play should be
reviewed.
Consideration should be given to a modest charge for youth.
A calculation of the impact of options for rental rate charges should be
prepared.
A policy for facility rental practices should be developed.
MOTION:
Jamieson/Manning that the report of the committee of the whole be
received.
CARRIED
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b.
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Meeting held on October 27, 2004
1.
Interior Health Request
Superintendent Doi reviewed recent discussions with Interior Health
regarding Jimson Weed.
A letter has been drafted which Mr. Doi
recommended be sent directly to parents. Following discussion, the
committee agreed that the letter regarding the plant be sent to all parents.
MOTION:
8.2
Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
Lindstrom/Shunter that the report of the committee of the whole be
received.
CARRIED
Buildings, Grounds, Safety and Transportation Committee
Trustee Jamieson reported on the buildings, grounds, safety and transportation
committee meeting held on October 27, 2004:
a.
Princess Margaret Secondary
Principal Bruce Johnson from Princess Margaret Secondary attended and
introduced Mr. Gerhart Moser, the artist who developed the shark statue at Skaha
Lake Middle School. Mr. Johnson contracted with Mr. Moser to create a statue of
three horses to be located in front of the school. Mr. Johnson reviewed the
planning for this statue and the establishment of a fundraising committee to fund
this and some other school initiated projects.
Mr. Johnson advised the cost of the statue is $32,000 plus the base and a donor
wall. Funding commitments have been received to date but the goal for the school
has identified further requirements.
In considering the timing for the erection of the statue, the committee supported the
concept that this should occur following the fundraising drive. The committee also
discussed and recognized the enhancement this artwork will provide to the
Princess Margaret site in the same manner the shark statue has enhanced the
Skaha Lake Middle School site.
b.
McNicoll Park Middle School
Director of Maintenance John Hickling reviewed the progress of the office
construction at McNicoll Park Middle School. Construction is complete and
currently the millwork is under construction. The move should occur during
November.
c.
Penticton Secondary School Reconstruction Planning
The committee was updated on the planning for the PSS reconstruction. A
summary of the October 26th PSS reconstruction committee meeting was provided
including the recommendation from that committee to proceed with Option C and
the information to support the preference for that selection. The committee was
also provided with a “Keeping You Informed” paper that described this latest
information regarding the planning. Following discussion of this information, the
committee recommended that the community, student and staff meetings
scheduled to review the PSS planning seek feedback on the single option
recommendation.
MOTION:
8.3
Jamieson/Manning that the report of the buildings, grounds, safety, and
transportation committee be received.
CARRIED
Education Committee
Trustee Shunter reported on the education committee meeting held on November 2,
2004:
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a.
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District Progress Report/Accountability Contract
The committee reviewed the student achievement plan for 2004-05 which is to be
submitted to the Minister of Education. The district plan is considered a ‘work in
progress’ and represents the collaborative effort of the literacy, numeracy and
social responsibility workgroups. The three goal areas, objectives, and strategies
outlined in the report are relevant to the district’s vision of ‘improving the
achievement of all students’. A special thank you was extended to the committee
chairs, helping teachers, home learners’ principal, and district staff for their
leadership and support.
MOTION:
b.
Shunter/Lindstrom that the report of the education committee be received.
CARRIED
Finance and Management Committee
Trustee Little reported on the finance and management committee meeting held on
November 3, 2004:
a.
Parent Advisory Councils
Secretary-Treasurer Regehr reviewed a letter sent to parent advisory councils on
September 21, 2004 requesting a copy of the financial report the PAC would have
provided to their members for last year. The letter was sent following discussion
with the DPAC president and was intended to gain assurance that PAC finances
are documented for reporting to the PAC. Trustees observed the request may
have been misinterpreted by some PAC’s and were supportive of the secretarytreasurer attending the next DPAC meeting to review the request.
b.
Maintenance Safety Meeting in December
For a number of years, the maintenance department has hosted a social gathering
for staff and retirees just before Christmas. For a variety of reasons, this event will
not be held this year.
MOTION:
9.0
Shunter/Little that the Board submit the District Progress Report to
the Minister of Education in compliance with Section 79.2 of the
School Act.
CARRIED
Early French Immersion
Assistant Superintendent Stigant provided a brief overview of the feasibility study
on Early French Immersion and indicated that the full report would be presented to
the Board at the November 8th public meeting.
MOTION:
8.4
Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
Little/Manning that the report of the finance and management committee
be received.
CARRIED
REPORT OF SECRETARY-TREASURER
9.1
Penticton Secondary School Reconstruction Committee
The secretary-treasurer reviewed information from the Penticton Secondary School
Reconstruction Committee meetings held on October 7 and 26, 2004 and reported the
committee recommended that Option “C” be the single option. As referenced in the
buildings, grounds, safety and transportation committee minutes, the committee
recommended that the scheduled community, student and staff meetings seek feedback
on the single option. Mr. Regehr added the comments received at the October 27th
meeting with KVR Middle and Penticton Secondary parent advisory councils were
positive as well as those received at student and staff meetings on November 3rd. On
November 1st, approximately 70 people attended the community meeting and although
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Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
most of the feedback related to the auditorium, general support was positive for Option
“C”. Following discussion,
MOTION:
Jamieson/Little that the Board of School Trustees accepts Option “C” as
the choice option for the reconstruction of Penticton Secondary School.
CARRIED
Appreciation was extended to the members of the Penticton Secondary School
Reconstruction Committee for their time and commitment to reach this point in the
feasibility study with special recognition given to Secretary-Treasurer Regehr and
Director of Maintenance Hickling. Trustees requested that a letter of appreciation be
forwarded to each member of the committee.
It was noted that the selection of Option “C” completes the review process associated
with Feasibility Phase 1 and subject to Ministry of Education approval allows the district
to proceed with Feasibility Phase 2 of this project.
9.2
Technology Update
Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Shongrunden announced that School District 67 Citrix
Home Access has been activated as of Wednesday, November 3, 2004. All staff and
students in grades 6 to 12 with a current active computer logon account now have the
same access to school resources from home (or anywhere in the world) if they have an
Internet connection. Danny Francisco reviewed home access in the traditional way of
transporting files on a floppy disk is no longer necessary as students and staff can
connect to their files and resources from anywhere using the same name and password
they use at school. Mr. Francisco added in the past four days, 140 staff members and 70
students signed on and used the system from home. Students can browse for library
resources or complete homework assignments while at home.
Trustees acknowledged the leadership and efforts of Mr. Shongrunden and the entire
technology team for this unique technology system.
10.0
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
10.1
Student Achievement
a.
District Workgroups
Superintendent Doi noted the information regarding the literacy, numeracy and social
responsibility workgroups is included under the district progress report.
b.
District Progress Report
The superintendent of schools reviewed a copy of Part D of the district progress
report which is designed as work in progress and reflects the work of the district
work groups (literacy, numeracy and social responsibility). Mr. Doi reported he has
met with teacher leaders and they intend to apply for a portion of the $5 million
literacy grant announced recently by the Ministry of Education. Director of
Instruction Shafer reported how the baseline data collected during assessments is
being used to help teachers in the classroom and that the workgroup will meet with
publishers to discuss available resources. Assistant Superintendent Stigant
acknowledged it will take longer to define indicators associated with social
responsibility and once the benchmarks are found, training programs will be
developed to meet the needs of teachers and students in social responsibility
areas.
c.
Provincial Grade 12 Exam Results
The assistant superintendent reviewed information regarding the provincial grade
12 examination results for 2003-04, provincial scholarships, and district
scholarships results. As well, the information included interpretation highlights,
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Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
school and exam averages (by school), graduation results by gender, participation
rates by course for the district, success rates for provincial exams, and provincial
scholarship winners. In ten of eleven subject areas, the pass rates for Okanagan
Skaha students equals or exceeds the provincial average and the remaining
course is within 2% of the provincial exam pass rate and within the district target.
Seven of eleven course areas are above the provincial average in A’s and B’s and
nine of eleven courses meet or exceed the district target of exceeding or being
within 2% of provincial rates. There were 49 provincial scholarship winners for
2003-04. Students, teachers, and supporting families were commended for both
success and scholarship rates.
10.2
Communication and Access
a.
Ready, Set, Learn
Director of Instruction Schafer reported that “Ready, Set, Learn” is an early
childhood initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Children and
Family Development, and the Ministry of Health Services. It will provide an
opportunity for elementary schools offering kindergarten to partner with communitybased early childhood service providers to influence school readiness of children.
Mr. Schafer previewed a pamphlet to be distributed to all parents of three year olds
inviting them to a school near home to receive resources provided by the Ministry’s
initiative. It was noted the Ministry is providing $2,500 per school to cover costs
associated with the program.
b.
Field Trips
Following the superintendent’s review of field trip requests,
MOTION:
Little/Shunter that funding as per Board policy be approved for the
two field trips:
•
•
MOTION:
Jamieson/Lindstrom that the following field trip request be approved
in principle:
•
c.
November 18 to 20, 2004, for 12 students from Summerland
Secondary School to compete in provincial swimming
championships in Richmond, BC; and
November 17 to 21, 2004, for 19 students from Penticton
Secondary School to compete in senior boys provincial soccer
championships in Burnaby, BC.
CARRIED
March 30 to April 4, 2005, for 82 grade 10 to 12 music program
students from Penticton Secondary School to compete in high
level competition in Honolulu, Hawaii during the last week of
spring break 2005.
CARRIED
Class Size Report
The assistant superintendent advised that as required under Section 6 of the class
size regulation, all obligations have been met and a letter has been forwarded to
the Minister of Education. The class size document providing class size averages
and maximums in the district will be sent to all schools.
MOTION:
Manning/Lindstrom that the class size report be received.
CARRIED
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10.3
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Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
d.
Partners’ Group Meeting
Superintendent Doi reviewed topics covered during the partners’ group meeting
held on October 6, 2004 noting favourable comments were received regarding the
meeting.
e.
School Planning Councils
The superintendent reported that training sessions for school planning councils on
October 19 and 20, 2004 were well received. Based on the evaluation of the
training sessions completed with school principals, it was noted an overwhelming
number requested no further discussion on notional funding.
Other Items
a.
Enrolment
The assistant superintendent reported enrolment as of October 29, 2004 was up by
25 student from last month. There are currently 7,469 students in the district or
7,149.6 FTE. Mr. Stigant added the district’s echo report indicates less than a one
percent difference from what was submitted to the Ministry.
MOTION:
Jamieson/Little that the enrolment report be received.
CARRIED
11.0
REPORT OF REPRESENTATIVES
12.0
NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
13.0
INFORMATION ITEMS
14.0
13.1
BCSTA Provincial Council Meeting
Trustee Little provided an overview of the BCSTA Provincial Council meeting held
October 29 and 30, 2004 which included discussions on the Wright Commission
submission by BCSTA, an update by the Deputy Minister of Education, and a number of
motions. A full synopsis is available in the trustee reading file.
13.2
BCSTA Trustees Academy
The BCSTA Trustees Academy entitled “The Achievement Academy” will be held
December 2 to 5, 2004 in Vancouver.
13.3
Date of Next Meeting
• Wednesday, December 15, 2004, Inaugural and Regular Meetings, School Board
Office
TRUSTEE COMMENTS
14.1
Trustee Comments
14.2
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 recognition sheet included
with the agenda package.
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14.3
Minutes of the Regular School Board Meeting – November 8, 2004
Recognition of Student Artwork
Students from the Home Learners Program were recognized for their artwork currently on
display at the school board office:
•
•
•
•
•
•
15.0
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Josh Burt – Grade 9 – Glass plate and ink print
Robert Lalonde – Grade 3 – Linoprint
Colin Wade – Grade 5 – Linoprint
Bevan Wade – Grade 8 – Linoprint
Jacob Hollenbeck – Grade 5 – Oil pastel – “Alligator”
Natasha Roblesky – Grade 4 – Pencil and colored pencil – “Horse”
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION:
Manning/Little that the meeting be adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
CARRIED
16.0
QUESTION PERIOD
____________________
Chairperson
____________________
Secretary-Treasurer
November 15, 2004
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