Schools
Staff
There are many people who work together to staff our schools effectively for our students. Most are represented by unions, and it is interesting to read their perspectives on the factors that contribute to high quality schools and excellent learning opportunities for all students. The Exempt Staff, another important group of employees, is not represented here.
Every year, as part of preparing and considering the Budget, the various staff groups speak to the Board about their concerns and their ideas on improving the work of the district as well as working conditions in the district. The Administration prepares a response to the various concerns raised and this plus the original presentations are forwarded to all district leaders charged with allocating funding to their work. The 2010 summary can be found here. This year there were three common themes presented by all staff groups (as well as other items related specifically to their areas of work). The three themes were: 1) Need for Increased Funding levels from the goverment, 2) Desire to review the site based decision-making model to ensure effectiveness in serving all children well, 3) Importance of Professional Development.
You can also access the various staff group websites directly for further information and insight:
- Edmonton Public Teachers (Local 37)
- CUPE 474 (Custodial Workers); Search for Local 474.
- CUPE 784 (Maintenance Staff, which includes Welders, Painters, Sheet Metal Workers, Security/Communications Technicians); Search for Local 784.
- CUPE 3550 (Support Staff, including Teacher Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Clerks, Secretaries, Food Preparers, Science and Library Technicians, and Interpreters)
Ongoing Board Work
- Schedule of upcoming Board meetings; all are welcome.
- Minutes of past Board meetings
- Policy Review and Developing New Policies; sign up to be informed of policies being reviewed and opportunities to give your feedback.
- Approving the Budget. The Budget cycle starts in the early winter with the Board approval of the “Basis of Allocation.” Schools and central departments develop their budgets to support their educational plans in the late winter and early spring. These budgets are reviewed by trustees around early May, and then the final budget is approved by early June. For information on the 2010-11 budget, click here. Since this budget was passed, the Minister of Education has announced that the government will fund the 2.92% Average Weekly Earnings Index increase for teachers. Given this welcome news, the Board will look again at the Budget in the fall.
Accountability
- Part of the thorough accountability process at Edmonton Public Schools involves trustees reviewing the results of schools and central departments every fall. We do this in “sub-committees” by which pairs of trustees review the results for schools in their own wards as well as some in other parts of the city. We also review the results of the Central Departments. The reviews allow leaders and trustees to examine What went well? What are the challenges? How do the results affect the plan going forward? These meetings are always open to the public, and it is good to hear comments from the public (usually parents) as well.
- Report to the Community 2009: (Be sure to check out the five videos where people speak to some of the work being done in Edmonton Public thanks to strong partnerships with community.)
- School Results for 2008-09
- Accountability Pillar and District Achievement Results 2008-09
- Satisfaction Survey Results 2008-09
Capital Planning
- Ten Year Facility Plan (2009-2018). Page 3 gives the planning principles used in making both big and small decisions on school space by the district.A new principle was added in 2008 (Proactive Approach to Environmental Awareness and Stewardship), and exploring the idea of planning by sector was recommended (see page 40). See page 35 for the information on the SW sector (Ward H).
- Three Year Capital Plan (2010-2013)
- Annual Implementation Plan (February 2010)
- School Viability and Sustainability Profiles
- Sector Review (what it is and which sectors are currently being reviewed) plus check out http://sectorreview2010.com sign up to receive updates on the consultation, notices of meetings, etc.
- School Closure Information (Spring 2010). Articles related to school closure can be found on the Edmonton Journal site in the Education section. You may also want to read some Opinion pieces on this issue:
- From David Cournoyer …
- From Kevin Kuchinski…
- From the Muttart Foundation
- And you can also check out what a variety of other people think at http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/ (Search School Closure)
Also, here is a map of all the Edmonton Public and Edmonton Catholic schools across the city along with their current enrollment numbers and the neighbourhood numbers of school age children. Thanks to the Journal for sponsoring this great resources.
Between February 9, 2010 (when the Board voted to consider the closure of five schools and one K-6 program) and April 13, 2010 (when we voted on these closures), I invited constituents receiving my regular Insights e-letter to let me know their thoughts. Some people took the time to contact me. In addition, as a group, the Board received many, many letters.
On April 10, 2010 I wrote in my Insights e-letter that “The bottom line for each of us around the Board table is to ‘make decisions on issues before the Board in the best interests of the corporation with an open mind based on all available facts and in consideration of the interests of all students and public school supporters.’ ” (from Principles of Board Operation )
Some people wrote to me to say they were not comfortable with this statement and felt the “best interests of the corporation” were not appropriate criteria — I should be putting the community first. I want to clarify how I understand this statement that comes from Board policy.
To me the best interests of the corporation refers to the best interests of “public education” as it is expressed in Edmonton … through Edmonton Public Schools, which is, yes, a corporation. The corporation is charged with the duty of expending taxpayers’ money on the education of students, by hiring staff, building schools etc. and by doing so, fulfill its public duties. As such, then, the corporation serves the interests of all children and public school supporters by ensuring that public education remains robust and vibrant and excellent in Edmonton from generation to generation to generation.
Voting to close a school is a very difficult decision. Here are some of the thoughts and ideas I weighed as I considered how I would vote in each instance:
The facts that I wrestled with included the following: ongoing declining enrollments in these two areas of the city, increasing costs to put well-supported teachers and staff into those schools to work with children, continued growth and development on the outer edges of the city.
I also wrestled with the desires of these communities to retain their schools, passionately and eloquently expressed by many, many people at the consultation meetings and through letters as well as being represented in several well-subscribed petitions.
I heard that people felt we were criticizing their choice of a school by stating that there were not as many educational opportunities for children in their small school. I heard bringing together staff and students would provide more supports for teachers and increased depth of opportunity for kids and considered the connection between this and and the Fall Consultations in which “pooling resources” was something that was valued. I heard strong values expressed from parents and others around the importance of children “belonging” and being known as “whole children” (not just academically) in order to learn successfully… around safety for children…. around seeing schools as community hubs of activity…. around the partnerships that schools have with child care providers as well as organizations and child/health care professionals who support kids and families (aka wraparound services).
I heard clearly that we need to pay special attention to the needs of children living in poverty as well as those newly arrived in Canada,. And I thought about the fact that we have 13,000 students living in poverty and almost 10,000 immigrant and refugee students, and about how not all of them live in the City Centre. This made me consider the importance of being in a strong fiscal position to be able to serve all our children well no matter where they live.
I heard views both for and against K-9 education. I understood there to be a strong desire to retain junior high programming in the Greater Hardisty area and I also heard fears expressed around putting wee ones in a school with older kids.
I heard a committment by the Superintendent and his staff to work with communities on the best use of the buildings if the schools were to close and the possibilities of continuing to keep the use of the closed schools relevant to the particular community. I heard a committment to undertake a new process to track the social and academic journeys of those children affected by school closure. I heard a committment by the Superintendent to ensure that receiving principals/schools will do their utmost to warmly welcome all new students to their schools and consider their needs. There is a recognition that change is never easy and how we handle transitions for children and families and for staff is ALWAYS important.
I heard that the extra funding that the district already gives the City Centre Education Partnership will continue; in addition, the Board reaffirmed the provision of bussing to designated schools at no cost to parents within the City Centre to ensure no extra financial burdens are placed on these families (this was first done in 2001 when the City Centre Education Partnership was first created). I also understood that the needs of families where siblings are charged with caring for their younger siblings will be considered in terms of the timing of start and end times for schools as well as school bus routing.
I heard the opinion that closing schools runs counter to the City’s revitalization efforts. I thought about the fact that four excellent schools would still remain in this part of the downtown core if we closed three out of the current seven schools.
And once again I thought about “the best interests of the corporation” — i.e. the best interests of strong and healthy public education in this city, which must continue to accept all children gladly, respond to their needs, and serve them well — not only today but into the future.
After all considering all of this, reading all the input pvoided during community meetings and through letters and emails, and listening to my colleagues at the Board table on April 13, I voted in favour of the five school closures and one K-9 closure.
The Board has since requested information on how the transitions between the schools slated for closure and those designated as receiving schools are going. In addition, it approved the expenditure of capital funds to complete facility upgrades at the receiving schools. See Item 7.
