BCSTA Metro Meeting – Wednesday, September 18th. Delta
Attending:
Larry Hayes - Burnaby.
Patti Bacchus, Mike Lombardi and Ken Denike – Vancouver.
Donna Sargent – Richmond.
Laura Dixon, Simon Truelove, Val Windsor - Delta.
Barry Forward – North Vancouver
Jane Kellett, Cindy Dekker, Carolyn Broady – West Vancouver
Laurae McNalley, Shaun Wilson – Surrey.
Melissa Hydnes – Coquitlam. Sheri Moore Arbour – BCSTA
Metro Meeting Dates for 2013/14
September 18th – Delta
October 16th – Burnaby
November 20th – Vancouver
December 5th – Academy
January 15th – West Vancouver
February 19th – North Vancouver
April – AGM
May 21st – Richmond
June 18th – Surrey
1.
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4.
Welcome and Introductions
Approval of the Agenda as amended
Approval of the minutes deferred to October 16th meeting
Reports
a. BCSTA – Jane Kellett
i. BCSTA Board of Directors met September 5th
ii. CSBA July Meetings in Vancouver a success.
1. Lots of representation from BC
2. There will be a First Nations Trustee Gathering prior to the 2014 AGM in
Niagara Falls
iii. Passport to Education being reviewed. Boards will be asked to provide input
iv. Local Education Task Force: BCSTA gave feedback. Encourages Boards to review
the white paper.
v. UBCM Conference taking place. BCSTA staff is at the conference observing.
vi. There will be follow up letters sent to departments and ministries pertaining to
motions passed at the 2013 AGM.
vii. Service Delivery: Audrey Ackah is representing BCSTA. Looking into how/where
shared services might be appropriate.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
viii. There was a discussion about the effectiveness and cost surrounding the daily
clipping service
1. Concerns were raised about cost
2. Many trustees found it useful, especially when gauging National
perspectives.
ix. Concerns were raised that BCSTA reps are not always publicly reflecting the
views of the majority and that they must reflect policy not personal perspective.
Jane will follow up.
Aboriginal Education – Barry Forward
i. Cecelia Reekie and Joyce Cooper are the new co-chairs of the AbEd committee.
ii. Truth and Reconciliation events are taking place all this week.
iii. Barry is new, and looks forward to working with the committee. Please forward
any questions or concerns to him.
Education Committee – Simon Truelove
i. Have not met yet this fall.
ii. Academy theme is “Cultivating Connections”. Please provide thoughts on topic
to Simon
iii. Discussed changes to the format of the academy – the need to try new things
and to add more depth to the workshops.
ELL Committee – Donna Sargent
i. Meeting in October
BCPSEA – Ken Denike
i. Went over the proposal that was being bargained September 16-18th
ii. Ken gave some background information on Marchbank
BCSTA Bargaining Taskforce – Laura Dixon
i. Met September 5th and will continue face to face discussion at Provincial Council
on September 26th.
ii. Laura asked how each district was progressing with their discussions of the one
association/two associations approach
1. Surrey – was meeting Thursday night
2. Burnaby – meeting that evening
3. West Van – provided a list of pros and cons. Majority of the Board was
generally supportive of the one association approach
4. Richmond – A think tank took place Tuesday and a list of pros and cons
was being compiled
5. Vancouver – workshop that evening
6. Coquitlam – had a meeting and a think tank session. Will draft a
response
7. North Vancouver – Board had met twice and a draft was in process
8. Delta – currently pulling together a response
iii. Taskforce meets on September 24th and will make recommendations to the
Board which will go to Provincial Council
5. Old Business – none at this time
6. New Business – CUPE Bargaining and Savings Plans
a. Everyone present was polled and all indicated they had asked staff to find the necessary
$$
7. Provincial Council
a. Discussions took place around Trustees giving up their voice with the changes to the
system and how to best counteract this. There was discussion about how best to reach
out through the media to tell our story. Concerns were also raised about the fact that
Trustees and BCSTA have remained silent while major changes, such as the removal of
the BCPSEA board, have taken place.
8. Roundtable
a. Burnaby
i. Up 150 students
ii. Strong summer session
iii. Receiving Children/Youth Award for Innovative Services Award of Excellence
b. Surrey
i. A new “app” was launched to communicate with parents
ii. Smooth start up – numbers are UP
iii. Opening 1 new replacement school
iv. Over 10,000 kids in summer learning
c. Delta
i. Seismic upgrade underway in Twassessen
ii. Down 150 kids
iii. Inquiry and music programs going well
d. North Vancouver
i. Down approximately 50 students, but less than expected
ii. Looking into whether or not to invest the $$ into a rebuild because seismic costs
are so high
e. Coquitlam
i. Up 300 students
ii. New middle schools to open in January 2014, containing a neighbourhood
learning centre
iii. Working with local government to identify potential school site locations
f. Vancouver
i. Down 700-800 students
ii. Strong Int’l numbers
iii. 2 new replacement schools slated
iv. Capital plan includes 4 new schools over the next 5 years
g. West Vancouver
i. Head count up slightly – partially due to International
ii. Average classes sizes in line – 2 currently over 30, but they will most likely
comply later this fall
iii. Working on a program around early physical literacy and sports skills for primary
iv. Board invested in technology for educators – 97% now have a device
h. Richmond
i. Down approx 320 students (expected to be down 500)
ii. Finance committee is presenting on education issues. Board and stakeholders
will be presenting to the Select Standing Committee on Finance re: Education
funding
iii. There is confusion around the use of the seismic tool
iv. There is an offer on the surplus land in Steveston
9. Adjourned at 2:30pm