School Fees Survey -Vancouver DPAC Info

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TO: All elementary and secondary PAC chairs and their parent communities

FROM: Vancouver DPAC executive.

DATE: Monday, January 22.

Your Vancouver DPAC executive met with executive reps from ten lower mainland districts during winter break to share information and discuss concerns. At that meeting, we learned of a school fees survey developed by Victoria DPAC in concert with six other DPACs. Vancouver DPAC agreed to make the survey available to Vancouver parents. Since then, a number of other DPACs representing @ 50% of the B.C. student population have joined in.

We really need to know your opinions so we can accurately represent them to Minister of Education Shirley Bond and the provincial parent group British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.

Information meeting re-scheduled to January 31st

The city-wide meeting to provide information/answer questions about the recent B.C. Supreme Court ruling on school fees and its implications for Vancouver schools and programs, postponed earlier this month due to inclement weather, has been re-scheduled:

Wednesday, January 31st
7:00 -9:00 p.m.
John Oliver secondary cafeteria, 41st and Fraser

Parents, principals and Vancouver Teachers’ Federation reps are invited (and encouraged!) to attend.

Parent survey so we can represent your opinions to the Ministry of and BCCPAC

While the January 31st meeting (see above) is for all stakeholders, this survey is for parents only.

The survey is being conducted over the internet. To participate simply type the following link into your address bar:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=781453099547

This survey is for all Vancouver parents. Please share this information as widely as possible with your parent community.

As of mid-day January 21st, 579 Vancouver parents had completed the survey. The greater the number of parents that participates, the more accurately DPAC can represent your views.

If you do not have internet access and would like a paper copy of the survey, please contact the DPAC coordinator Rosemary Wakefield at 604-261-1250 and she will fax a copy to your school. Anyone with questions about the survey can phone Rosemary or email her at rkwakefield@shaw.ca.

Deadline for completion of the survey is January 31st. Members of your DPAC executive will then compile the results prior to a February 4th meeting with DPAC representatives from all participating districts and BCCPAC executive members to prepare a joint presentation to Minister of Education Shirley Bond. We will share district and provincial results with Vancouver PACs.

Please encourage your parent community to complete the survey and to attend the January 31st information meeting. We need to hear your voices.

For background on the school fees issues click here.

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