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INUTES OF THE
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EETING
H ELD ON M ONDAY , A PRIL 12, 2010, AT 6:30 P .
M .
AT THE S CHOOL B OARD O FFICE
IN ATTENDANCE
MINUTES
Ginny Manning, Chair
Linda Van Alphen, Vice Chair
Shelley Clarke, Trustee
Connie Denesiuk, Trustee
Larry Little, Trustee
David Perry, Trustee
Tom Siddon, Trustee
Wendy Hyer, Superintendent of Schools
Ron Shongrunden, Secretary-Treasurer
Dave Burgoyne, Assistant Superintendent
John Hickling, Director of Maintenance
Pam Butters, Director of Instruction
Tom Schimmer, District Principal
Daphne Adey, Executive Assistant
1.0 CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Manning welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2.0 ADOPTION AGENDA
MOTION: Little/Clarke that the agenda be approved.
CARRIED
3.0 PRESENTATIONS BY SCHOOLS AND/OR STUDENTS
3.1 Princess Margaret Secondary Soccer Academy
During the 2009-10 school year, Princess Margaret Secondary implemented a Soccer
Academy for elite athletes in the Penticton area. John Buckley, the teacher involved in the program, provided an update on the success of the program along with challenges related to the co-ed setting from grade 9 to 12. Mr. Buckley indicated there may be enough students to have two blocks of instruction for next year, Summerland Secondary
School has a number of students interested in the program, and suggested a long-term soccer academy similar to the hockey academy should be considered.
Following a number of trustee questions, Mr. Buckley was congratulated on the success and thanked for his presentation.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 2
3.2 Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network
Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010
The Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network (AESN) and the Healthy Schools Network
(HSN) were developed in partnership with the Network of Performance Based Schools
(NPBS) to support teacher and principal inquiry in BC schools. The AESN focuses on the goals of the district enhancement agreement. Sharon Sola, Principal of Carmi
Elementary, oversees these networks in the district and briefly explained how these networks complement one another to support student learning. She was joined by Dave
Brunelle, Principal, and Travis Bond, Vice Principal, Skaha Lake Middle School, who described both the inquiry question that they and their staff are exploring and the work that they have undertaken in the inquiry process. The question, “Will aboriginal students become more successful at school when they experience an increased sense of connection to the school community?” is being explored by the group along with supporting data. The focus will begin with the Okanagan Nation. Trustees were invited to the Regional Celebration of the AESN to be held on June 3, 3:45 to 5:30 p.m., at UBC
Okanagan.
4.0 RECEIVING OF DELEGATIONS AND GUESTS
Tina Head, CIRM Program Manager, and Hilma LaBelle, Executive Director of the South
Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services, presented and reviewed the South
Okanagan Similkameen Community Diversity Protocol with the Board of Education.
District staff from School District No. 67 has been involved in the work of the committee regarding this initiative. On behalf of the Board, Chairman Manning signed the community protocols which will also be signed by the six mayors in the region, the
Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, RCMP, and Interior Health. The protocols will be translated into the language of the Okanagan Nation. In response to a request to send a letter and questionnaire to new landed immigrants, the school district offered to mail the letters and questionnaires rather than providing the names and addresses of immigrant families to the Diversity Promotion Network.
MOTION: Perry/Denesiuk that the Board approve the format of the survey being stamped from the Penticton & District Multicultural Society and sent by the school district to new immigrant families.
CARRIED
5.0 APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
MOTION: Van Alphen/Clarke that the minutes of the regular meeting held on March 1, 2010 be approved.
CARRIED
6.0 REPORT FROM CLOSED MEETING
Chairman Manning advised the following items were discussed at the closed meeting held on
March 1, 2010:
•
Received reports from the buildings, grounds, safety and transportation committee and
Shatford liaison committee;
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Confirmed teacher and support staff changes;
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Discussed the budget development survey;
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Received information related to student suspensions;
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Received a report from the Okanagan Labour Relations Council; and
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Requested information for a future meeting.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
7.0 CORRESPONDENCE
Page 3 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010
7.1 Letter from Nicholas Randall
A letter from student Nicholas Randall thanking the board for supporting his recent trip to
Taipei to attend the Taiwan International Science Fair held January 31 to February 5.
7.2 Letter from B.C. Coalition for School Libraries
A letter from the B.C. Coalition for School Libraries requesting that trustees consider the possibilities for student success school libraries offer to students and do the utmost to preserve and increase their staffing.
7.3 Letter from the Minister of Education
A letter of response from the Minister of Education concerning the Foundation Skills
Assessment. A copy of the letter to the Minister was circulated with the agenda package.
7.4 Summary of Copies of Letters to the Board
Copies of the letters to the Board listed below are available in the trustee reading file:
•
School District No. 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) to the Minister of Education reiterating the Board’s opposition to the release of school-level FSA results because of the subsequent misuse of the results by the Fraser Institute to rank schools, which serves to discount the quality teaching and learning that occurs in all classrooms;
•
School District No. 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) to the Fraser Institute advising their district does not recognize the Garfield Weston Awards;
•
School District No. 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) to the Minister of Education and
President, BCTF, urging the Minister and president of BCTF to renew their efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict over FSA;
•
School District No. 44 (North Vancouver) to the Minister of Education regarding the mandated use of SMARTTool required by the Ministry of Citizen’s Services to track school district carbon emissions and the administrative burden created by the use of this product;
•
School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) to the Minister of Education requesting the
Ministry will be taking steps to ensure that school districts across the province provide a consistent response to parent requests for their children to be excused from writing the Foundation Skills Assessment tests;
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School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) to the Minister of Education asking that the
Minister work to enact legislation to reduce child poverty rates in BC;
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School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) to the Minister of Education requesting that the Minister complete an impact analysis of the decision to reduce funding to
PAC’s;
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School District No. 53 (Okanagan Similkameen) to the Deputy Minister of
Education suggesting a new format for meeting with Ministry staff at the BCSTA
AGM by utilizing the format of branch meetings to coalesce information on issues relative and important to the respective branch and its boards.
MOTION: Perry/Siddon that the correspondence be received.
CARRIED
8.0 REPORT OF COMMITTEES
8.1 Finance and Management Committee
Trustee Van Alphen reported on the finance and management committee meeting held on March 31, 2010:
Secretary-Treasurer Shongrunden distributed and reviewed information comparing the Ministry 2009-10 final and 2010-11 preliminary funding along with the same
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 4 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010 funding comparison for SD67. The proposed 2010-11 funding is based on a decline of 45 students projected for September 2010 as well as 188 full day kindergarten students. It was noted that SD67 will receive a formula transition of
$292,022 and funding protection of $816,268 for the 2010-11 school year. Mr.
Shongrunden also reviewed the slides prepared for the public budget meeting to be held later that evening. Committee members discussed and reviewed information to be presented at the public meeting as well as suggestions for their meeting on
April 23 with the Minister and Ministry staff while at the BCSTA AGM.
MOTION: Van Alphen/Little that the report of the finance and management committee be received.
CARRIED
8.2 Buildings, Grounds, Safety and Transportation Committee
Trustee Perry reported on the buildings, grounds, safety and transportation committee meeting held on April 8, 2010: a. Annual Facility Grant Funding
Secretary-Treasurer Shongrunden reviewed a letter from the Ministry of Education advising that $56 million in annual facility grant funding will be provided to school districts this month. Prior to March 2011, an additional $54 million will also be made available. SD67 will receive $1.26 million, reduced by $34,433 for the
Capital Asset Management Services (CAMS) initiative. School districts must eliminate AFG fund deficits prior to undertaking new projects, all remaining AFG funds allocated for 2010 must be spent by March 2011, and Ministry approval will be required related to spending. Mr. Shongrunden added the district will be looking to spend money where we can save money in the general operating funds although some funds will still need to be targeted towards ongoing maintenance projects such as roofing and safety related items. It was noted that a number of project requests could now be going on the district’s capital plan, the minor capital plan, or
AFG submissions. b. Capital Asset Management Services Initiative
Mr. Shongrunden reviewed a letter from the Ministry of Education related to the
CAMS program designed to look at all school district buildings to determine the condition of the buildings along with what improvements are necessary. Ministry staff will be in the district later this month to review the facilities and will require maintenance staff to accompany them. They could be in the district for up to two weeks. c. Full Day Kindergarten
Committee members reviewed a letter from the Ministry related to capital requirements for portables to be used for full day kindergarten. Mr. Shongrunden added we anticipate more details to follow. Mr. Hickling advised the preliminary funding of $16,379 is to cover the design of the portables which will be designed by
Ministry representatives, paid for by the Ministry, and delivered to the site with the district responsible for setup.
Superintendent Hyer reviewed plans for a workshop scheduled for May 14 at the
Ramada Inn which will focus on early learning and kindergarten development.
Neighbouring districts have been invited to participate. d. School Building Closure and Disposal Policy
A letter from the Ministry related to school building closure and disposal of property was reviewed which emphasizes that the permanent disposition of board-owned property will only be considered by the Ministry under exceptional circumstances.
School districts are advised to first contact Ministry staff to discuss potential property disposals prior to embarking on broad consultation with education and
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 5 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010 community partners regarding the alternative community use of a school or nonschool property. e. Replacement Trees for PSS
Director of Maintenance Hickling reviewed a report from an arbourist which recommended replacing the maple trees at the front of Penticton Secondary
School, which show structural defects or hazardous conditions that cannot be corrected, with medium sized Acer campestre (hedge maple) trees. This type of maple can also be used for landscaping development at Penticton Secondary
School, is suitable for locations near overhead utility lines, and is suited for dry alkaline soils. Following discussion, the committee recommended:
MOTION: Perry/Van Alphen that medium sized Acer campestre (hedge maple) trees be planted at Penticton Secondary School.
CARRIED
Following discussion of trustee preference for Board approval for annual facility grant projects rather than Ministry approval,
MOTION: Little/Perry that the Board send a letter to the Minister of Education objecting to the new requirements for Ministry of Education approval of school district annual facility grant projects.
CARRIED
MOTION: Perry/Sidon that the report of the building, grounds, safety, and transportation committee be approved.
CARRIED
Trustee Clarke reported regarding the education committee meeting held on April 6,
2010: a. Implementation of the WNCP Mathematics Curriculum 9 to 12 in School
District No. 67
Numeracy Helping Teacher Lisa West provided a PowerPoint presentation and update to the Board of Education on implementation of the new math curriculum in grades 9 to 12. Ms. West presented information and background on the development of the three new pathways of Mathematics – Apprenticeship and
Workplace 10, 11, 12, Math Foundations 10, 11, 12 and Pre-Calculus 10, 11, 12.
This year our secondary schools are implementing the new Mathematics 9 course.
As well, Ms. West provided an overview of the work that has been done this year supporting the district’s Numeracy Goal to “ Improve student success in numeracy ”. b.
District Plan: Literacy, Numeracy and School Completion Goals
District Principal Tom Schimmer and Helping Teacher Judith King provided updates to the trustees on the work of the Literacy, Numeracy and School
Completion Work Groups. The vision of “improving achievement of ALL learners” continues to guide the work of all three district workgroups. c. SPC Zone Meetings
The Superintendent reminded trustees of the SPC Zone Meetings which will be held on the following dates:
•
PSS Zone
•
PMSS Zone
•
SSS Zone
May 17 7:00 pm at Columbia Elementary
May 19 7:00 pm at Skaha Lake Middle
May 20 7:00 pm at Summerland Middle
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 6 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010
The meetings will provide each school with an opportunity to discuss its schoolwide inquiry project(s) and trustees are encouraged to attend those meetings for their representative schools. d. Anti-Bullying Initiatives in School District No. 67
District Principal Schimmer provided trustees with an overview of the variety of proactive initiatives and programs that promote anti-bullying behavior in all our schools. e. Hand in Hand – Infant Toddler Program
Director of Instruction Butters presented a proposal from the Hand in Hand
Program requesting support from School District No. 67 to extend their hours of operation to include two weeks at Christmas break and two weeks at spring break as well as the two months of July and August. Ms. Butters discussed the implications of the proposal for consideration by the Board of Education which included additional funding from the school district of up to $5,400. Trustees recommended that, because this was a request for increased funding to a program, this should be part of the district’s considerations during the current budget review process for 2010-11.
MOTION: Clarke/Denesiuk that the report of the education committee be received.
CARRIED
9.0 REPORT OF SECRETARY-TREASURER
The secretary-treasurer reviewed the financial report to March 31, 2010 provided in the agenda package, noting the district is in financially sound shape. The district continues to try to allocate funds from this year towards next year’s budget and we are hopeful confirmation will be received this week or next if we will be able to do that.
9.2 Carbon Neutral Action Report
Secretary-Treasurer Shongrunden reported that the draft carbon neutral action report, with new initiatives added to the previous year’s report, has been forwarded to the government. Until the report is made public after April 30, it has been posted for viewing at the staff section on the district’s website.
10.0 SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
10.2 Communication and Access
District Principal Schimmer reviewed field trip requests, four of which did not require board approval pursuant to district policy.
MOTION: Little/Van Alphen that Summerland Middle School be added to the
June 9 to 12, 2010 McNicoll Park Middle School field trip request for approximately 60 grade 8 band students to travel to Edmonton to perform at various schools and visit the museum and West
Edmonton Mall.
CARRIED
MOTION: Denesiuk/Siddon that the field trip request for February 25 to 27,
2011 for 20 band students from Princess Margaret Secondary to
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 7 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010 compete in the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow,
Idaho be approved in principle.
CARRIED
MOTION: Clarke/Van Alphen that final approval be given to the field trip request for May 12 to 15, 2010 for 63 grade 8 student from KVR
Middle School to travel to Edmonton, Alberta, to participate in musical performance opportunities.
CARRIED a. Enrolment
The superintendent of schools reported on enrolment as of March 31, 2010, noting there are currently 6,611 students, or 6,472.5 FTE, in the school district.
12.0 NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
12.1 Meeting with Summerland Council
Chair Manning reported the topics covered during the meeting between the Board and
Summerland Council held on April 7, 2010 included road issues, municipal growth, shared services, persistent rumours of school closures, and council’s interest in getting students involved in municipal government.
13.1 BCSTA Annual General Meeting
The BCSTA annual general meeting will be held on April 22 to 25, in Victoria.
Extraordinary and substantive motions that have been submitted to BCSTA for consideration at the AGM are now available on the BCSTA website.
13.2 BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch Meeting
The BCSTA Thompson Okanagan Branch meeting will be held on April 23, 2010, 4:00 p.m., in Victoria. As well, the Board will be meeting with Ministry staff at 2:45 p.m. on
April 23.
13.3 Date of Next Meeting
•
May 3, 2010, 7:00 p.m., Public Budget Meeting, School Board Office
•
May 10, 2010, 6:30 p.m., Regular Meeting, School Board Office
Trustees proved comments related to district activities including the gold medal success of Penticton Secondary School student Roy Millar at the BC high school provincials in wrestling, the DARE graduation at KVR Middle School, a request to invite Inspector
Haugli to a meeting to discuss the DARE program, free Elluminate sessions offered by
BCSTA, and an invitation to the Good Will Shakespeare Festival in Summerland.
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 listing circulated with the agenda package.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) Page 8 Minutes of Regular Board of Education Meeting – April 12, 2010
14.3 Recognition of Student Artwork
Congratulations were extended to the following students from Summerland Secondary
School for their artwork currently on display at the school board office:
•
Tayah Chubach, Grade 10 On white paper with black frame; black ink dot drawing of a lady with a baby pig
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April Mahovlic, Grade 10 On white paper with black frame; black ink dot drawing of various shaped leaves
•
Nicole Smed, Grade 9
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Danielle Lucier, Grade 10
Mona Lisa on white paper with black ink; framed in black construction paper
Marilyn Monroe sketch in black ink dots on
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Alex Haag, Grade 11
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Brandi Smith, Grade 12 white paper; framed in black
Black and white photography
Classic car study; print of original in wax colours and ink; original sold at auction
•
Petra Holler, Grade 12 Classic car study; print of original; charcoal and graphite; prints sold at auction
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Josephine Von Krosigk, Grade 11 Classic car study; charcoal; original sold at auction
Comments/suggestions from the audience were related to:
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A letter written by the OSTU to MLA Barisoff;
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Appreciation to the Board for partnering with the OSTU to receive $5,000 from the BCTF for the inquiry project;
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A request from the OSTU to ask the policy committee to involve aboriginal elders in special events such as graduation;
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A request for month to month enrolment reports;
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An explanation of the upcoming pink shirt Wednesday;
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Appreciation from CUPE for trustee support for a letter to the Ministry concerning annual facility grants;
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An invitation to trustees to attend the community swim on May 1 in Summerland;
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Questions related to the meeting with Ministry staff on April 23;
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A question related to alternative lifestyles program in district schools; and
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The need to attract more students to the district.
16.0 ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Little/Clarke that the meeting be adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
CARRIED
____________________
Chairperson
April 27, 2010
Ref: U:\SBO-ST-Data\DA\2009-2010\00100 - 01999 Admin\00300-05 Minutes Open\100412 OP Minutes.doc
____________________
Secretary-Treasurer
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