The BC Superintendents Association has written a letter, January 17th, requesting the Ministry of Education take decisive action to end the uncertainty. Full text of the letter is available here.

The BC Trustees Association has written a letter, January 19th, requesting the Ministry of Education address the needs of school boards in light of the school fee court decision of last fall. In their letter they propose some changes to deal with the situation. Full text of letter can be downloaded here.

UBC President Stephen Toope met with UBC’s Department Heads and Directors for an update on the ongoing budget deficit story. The ongoing deficit is now $33M-$36M. To deal with this serious problem, that amounts to a 5% overall cut in spending, a set of directed cuts have been identified to reduce the deficit by $16M next fiscal year. In addition a $20M across-the-board one time cut in spending is planned to deal with the remainder.

What does this mean in real terms? It’s hard to say at this point. Various cuts have been rumored from cutting maintenance and upkeep on new buildings (over a million saved), to not allowing students to use VISA credit cards to pay their tuition (apparently a 2.5 million dollar saving) , to cutting the tuition waiver program for PhD students (another 2 million dollars saved). While plans and options are circulating amongst UBC’s management circles no explicit public announcements have been made as to what will actually be cut.

This is the second year in a row that UBC management has forced cuts onto the core teaching and research functions of the university. Rumors abound that the underlying cause for UBC’s budget problems are in fact the result of the massive housing and institutional building boom that is occurring on campus.

Pete McMartin broke the story that faculty, staff and students have been living with for some time last Tuesday in the Vancouver Sun.

One of the first salvos in the school fee wars was fired across the bow of creative education last Friday in the Comox valley. As reported in the Comox Valley Record international educational trips violate the school act.

Comoz Valley superintendent, Jordan Tinney, cited legal advice as he gave his recommendation. One is left puzzled and confused as to how a trip, any trip, could be seen as a violation of the school act. I wonder if basketball and other sporting trips are next to be banned?

It’s too bad that the government didn’t act in a leadership role immediately upon the decision last September. Other things, however, were more important and the issue has festered until strange and seemingly ill formed decisions are now being made.

Update: Students demonstrated their concern by staging a sit-in at the Comox Valley School Board offices earlier this month following a school board decision to canceled a trip to Europe because of the school fee issue. Read article here. Story published in the Comox Valley Echo.

According the the Comox Valley Reader:

The answer is no, when it comes to School District 71 approving international trips for area schools. On Tuesday, the school board held a special meeting with students, parents, and teachers of Mark R. Isfeld Secondary about a proposed trip to Europe during spring break 2008. Superintendent Dr. Jordan Tinney started the meeting saying that approving such trips would contravene the Sept. 26, B.C. Supreme Court decision that disallows the practice of charging fees for educational programs. “Our legal opinion states not to support this trip for reasons of liability as well as it is not in line with the recent Supreme Court decision,” Tinney said in his recommendation to the board. [By Beth Scott, Record Staff, Jan 12 2007

For those interested in expressing their concerns directly to the school board chair, Ms Janice Proudfoot can be contacted at:
Phone: 250 338-8294
Fax: 250 338-4961
Email: Janice.Proudfoot@sd71.bc.ca

The Following commentary on tenth grade teacher, Tom Moore’s, movie review is quoted from Where the Blog has No Name.

“Tom Moore is a tenth grade history teacher in the Bronx and his op-ed in today’s New York Times deconstructs the Hollywood image of teacher as hero/martyr

In analyzing the recent film “Freedom Writers,” Moore argues that the “dangerous message such films promote is that what schools really need are heroes. This is the Myth of the Great Teacher. Films like “Freedom Writers” portray teachers more as missionaries than professionals, eager to give up their lives and comfort for the benefit of others, without need of compensation.”

While there’s plenty of room for more love and idealism in the classroom, martrydom is not the answer to the problems teachers and students face in schools. Moore says he doesn’t expect to be thought of as a hero for doing his job. What he wants is to be respected, supported, trusted and paid.

Moore says that “every day teachers are blamed for what the system they’re just a part of doesn’t provide: safe, adequately staffed schools with the highest expectations for all students.”

He’s right, of course, but here he seriously downplays the responsibilities that teachers share as part of the system.

It’s true that “one maverick teacher, no matter how idealistic, perky or self-sacrificing” will not transform the system, collective action among teachers choosing to work in the interest of students (as opposed to the corporations and the state) could turn the system upside down.”

Click here to read Tom Moore’s article in full.

U Hill Secondary students have been organizing an informal campaign to bring the current grad portfolio to a timely end. The school bulletin also contains information to assist students in communicating with the minister to express their opinion (see November 6 info).

From 250 to 1200 then down to 750 – that’s the story of Vancouver’s changing enrollment. It now seems that the ‘final pull,’ the official end of September enrolment count, for Vancouver is only 750 students down. That’s still 500 more than was projected, but significantly less than the early statements. One school reported that the majority of their ‘missing’ enrolments can be attributed to families who have left Vancouver, some of them even out of the country. Hopefully in the weeks that come it will be possible to construct a better idea of what’s happening and why.

Previous post:October 2; September 26.

BC supreme court rules that school fees contravene the BC School Act.

Victoria school trustee, John Young’s campaign for full funding of public education has passed yet another obstacle. Justice Johnston of the BC Supreme Court states in his decision: “A school board is not permitted to charge student fees for courses or for materials, or for musical instruments, that are required for students to successfully complete a course leading to graduation.”

It remains to be seen how school boards and the Ministry of Education will respond.

Fultext version of Court Decision

Blog Enteries:
Newsdaily Canada
Peace, Earth and Justice News

News articles:
CKNW
News 1130
Vancouver Sun
CBC

Background item from CBC.

As the September 30th cutoff date approaches the Vancouver School Board is anticipating a drop in overall enrolment beyond the initially projected 250 students. The most recent enrolment counts indicates that the overall student population could be down by an additional 900 students to 1,160 fewer students overall. VSB staff state that this number is preliminary and there may be some changes before the Sept 30th official count is sent to the Ministry. ,Nonetheless they note the magnitude of the decrease and have been contacting education partners to keep them informed.

The key information:

• Enrolment across the district will be approximately 900 less than projected (that is, about 1,200 studnets or approx 2% of total district student population);
• 500 students fewer at the elementary level;
• 660 students fewer at the secondary level;
• 300 of the elementary students are “full day Ks” (i.e. 300 fewer full day Kindergarten children enrolled than expected);
• Staffing allocations in schools with decreased enrolment will take place next week (approx 70 full time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions across the district);
• Every effort will be made to minimize disruption in schools. No child will have to transfer to another school;
• Principals and staff committees in affected schools will work together to make the staffing adjustments;
• There will be no teacher layoffs. Teachers affected by the enrolment decrease will become “permanent teachers-on-call” and assigned to replace teachers away ill or on leave. (In other words, we will use current teaching staff as TOCs and spend less money on hiring new TOCs);
• The net financial cost to the district of the decreased enrolment/reduced funding will be in the $1.5 million range, but that number cannot be confirmed for some time yet;
• All numbers are approximate and will be fine-tuned as additional information is received.

Update: Tuesday Sept. 27, 2006
Story Hits Monday’s news:
read the CBC story;
read the CKNW story;
read the News 1130 story; North Shore News story on situation on the north shore. West Van up, North Van down.

Robson Valley Times story on declining enrolments.

The education ministry projects an overall drop of 7,095 students from last school year, with only a handful of school districts — including Surrey and West Vancouver — expecting higher enrolment. Source, The Province, Setpember 5, 2006.