Education:
Ralph supported construction of the new $8 million Andre Piolat School; lobbied for an education funding formula that takes unique North Shore characteristics into account; pressed for additional funding for special education students; and encouraged Education Minister to re-affirm the priority of public education.
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Note from Ralph: Touring the West Vancouver School District
Hon. Tom Christensen readily agrees to visit School District 45 (West Vancouver). It seemed a quarter century since an Education Minister had toured this wonderful school system. And besides, he had already devoted considerable time to a one-on-one with representatives of SD 44 (North Vancouver), our equally wonderful system next door.
We begin with the obligatory information kit: Welcome to SD 45, reports on traffic safety, substance abuse prevention, and school financial and scholastic profiles, and a wonderful set of bookmarks.
The itinerary was tight: Meet Jeff Jopson, school superintendent, and Paola Merkins, school board chair; followed by a quick tour of West Van Secondary and the new Kay Meek Centre for the Performing Arts, then off to Chartwell Elementary; then a working lunch with stakeholders (school board, parent advisory council, union representatives, and students); and concluding with a visit to Pauline Johnson (French immersion). All in about five hours. We made it!
Some MLA impressions:
• West Van High. Tom and I are given school Highlander ties which we immediately put on. The Kay Meek Centre is a spectacular new resource and there we are briefly entertained by a young woman with a thrilling Broadway voice. Then meet teachers, tour classrooms, and chat with the principal. My (and Tom’s) overall impression: can we go back and start our education all over again?
• Chartwell Elementary. My impressions – everybody is heads down, working! Disciplined. A highly organized facility. Good mood. Teachers bright, responsive, and friendly. Our kids are in good hands.
• Stakeholder luncheon. The Minister talks about the opportunity for greater spending flexibility, now that the government is in surplus by about a billion bucks. No lack of ideas about where to spend it. Both the parents’ council and the teacher’s union zero right in on a major problem: the need for increased staff resources for special needs students. It is great to integrate special needs students into regular classrooms, but the requisite staff support must be there or it does not work. Nobody disagrees.
• Meeting with the Board: discussion of revenue projections and upcoming contract negotiations. It is noted that SD45 obtains about one-fifth of its revenue from foreign students. Without this increment of funding, programs would have to be thinned down and our schools would lose a significant portion of their curriculum richness. But what if there was a Toronto-style SARS outbreak, and foreign students stayed home? This strategic source of revenue is subject to uncertainty.
• Visit to Pauline Johnson. A bilingual success story. Parents want their kids to have that extra linguistic edge. Back to école française for Ralph. However, I think I can offer a reasonably accurate translation of WVSS’s team slogan “Faire Sans Dire” which seems to loosely say “Just Do It and Don’t Brag About It!” Politicians would have a hard time with that one.
Tom and I discuss our impressions on the way back to my office. We agree that West Vancouver teachers and staff are superb, facilities such as Meek Centre positively marvelous, and that the entire “feeling” of the system sets a high standard for other systems in the province.
I intend to write to Finance Minister Collins about the need to increase funding for special needs students in his forthcoming (February ’05) budget.
Note from Ralph: Touring the North Vancouver School District
North Vancouver School District No. 44 is a big enterprise: over 18,000 students, 15,000 adult program students, $120 million operating budget, 2400 employees. How does one keep track of what is going on - and ensure quality?
One well-established practice is peer review. It is, in fact, an Education Ministry requirement, conducted every three years.
This year, a team consisting of a schoolteacher from Mission, two officials from the Ministry of Education in Victoria, a Deputy Superintendent from Langley, an Associate Superintendent from Vancouver, a principal from Quesnel involved in aboriginal education, and a parent from Rocky Mountain school district, descended on NVSD 44. They visited 16 schools, reviewed the District’s “accountability contract,” and plans to improve student achievement. They observed classes, talked to the superintendent, grilled principals, teachers, parents and trustees, talked with representatives of the aboriginal community and – in the end – issued NVSD 44 a report card.
So one Sunday evening a few weeks ago, the peer review team arrived, and the School Trustees were kind enough to invite local MLA’s as well as a cross section of teachers and staff, to have dinner with them. It was time for a good debate on such topics as the funding formula from Victoria (a hot topic at NVSD 44), the merits of public versus private schools, entrance hurdles facing students at the university level, integration issues for students who do not speak English, and so on. In other words, a far ranging, interesting debate.
As another benefit, the dinner was held at Leo Marshall Centre on West 21st Street in North Vancouver, where the children’s art gallery is located. “The Story of Harrison,” an exhibit featuring the colourful art of Ted Harrison, was an unexpected treat. Harrison painted in the Yukon when I tramped around that territory, and his work is always a delight.
Leo Marshall Gallery is open to all, admission is by donation. Another benefit of living in wonderful North Vancouver.
The NVSD 44 Report Card
Particular NVSD44 strengths identified? Quite a few: planning, focus on student achievement, culture of learning, curriculum development, management and use of data, professional collaboration, and a systematic approach to improving student achievement.
Promising practices in NVSD44? Again, quite a few: Core reading, math 44 for proficiency, early literacy and learning, school safety audits, best instructional practice, and the Artists for Kids trust.
Recommendations for NVSD44? Continue to deepen the student achievement data side, share best practices, set up an aboriginal advisory board.
Summing Up
Do we have a crackerjack school district in North Vancouver? You bet we do! The audit says so -- and so do skyrocketing house prices as parents move in to give their kids the best start in life.
