Education Act 2011 Proposed Framework

Alberta Education just released its draft Education Act 2011 Proposed Framework. It is hoped to have this legislation presented at the spring 2011 sitting of the Legislature. If you would like to provide feedback on this document, check out the idea forum on Alberta Education's Inspiring Action webpage. In order to provide input, click on the register button at the top right hand side of the page before proceeding to the forum.

Trustee Inquiry: Principal Training and School Councils

CAPSC is pleased to share the following with its membership...

Trustee Inquiry:
What type of training have principals received in helping parents understand the role of School Councils?

Response:
Because of the wide range of years of experience in our principal cohort, some of our principals experienced the provincial implementation of the new format for School Councils in 1995. Since that original implementation there has been some formal training through workshops and conference sessions provided by groups such as Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils (CAPSC), the Alberta Teachers’ Association (including the Council on School Administration), and the Alberta Home and School Councils’ Association. Mentorship has been key in principals understanding the role of School Councils; prior to becoming a principal, individuals have been an assistant principal for a minimum of three years. During that time they have attended School Council meetings, received mentorship from their principals and been involved in School Council planning. Supporting documents that principals routinely reference in their work with their School Councils include CBE Administrative Regulation 5001 – School Councils and School/Parent Societies, Alberta Education School Council Resource Manual, and the School Act. In the 2009-10 school year, first and second year principals attended a session on School Councils as part of the CBE Leadership Centre yearlong series of leadership development workshops that Area Directors also attended. Area Directors are also having focussed conversation at their Area Leadership meetings with principals regarding current policy expectations and practical strategies for successful School Councils.

Note: CAPSC President at the time, Gerry Burger-Martindale, led the sessions referenced in the above response.

CBE Parent Communications Survey

Parent Communications has been a much discussed topic at CAPSC meetings so we were pleased to hear that CBE Communications through the bimonthly Key Communique is conducting a Parent Communications Survey. CAPSC would like to encourage parents and school councils to support this effort and get the word out to as many parents as possible. A summary of the results from the survey will be available in January along with next steps.

Setting the Direction: The Minister's Speech to the Special Education Council of the ATA

"Celebrating the Challenges," a speech made by the Hon. Dave Hancock, Education Minister, at a recent conference held by the Special Education Council of the Alberta Teachers Association has been released. The Minister shares his vision around inclusive education, the work done by his department so far and some of the challenges encountered. He asks the audience for their continued patience as, "Transforming a complex system requires careful thought, research, analysis and continued meaningful interaction with all Albertans." "The results will be worth it."

Our New Board of Trustees

CAPSC welcomes the new Board of Trustees!

Wards 1 & 2: Joy Bowen-Eyre
Wards 3 & 4: Lynn Ferguson
Wards 5 & 10: Pamela King
Wards 6 & 7: George Lane
Wards 8 & 9: Pat Cochrane
Wards 11 & 13: Sheila Taylor
Wards 12 & 14: Carol Bazinet

The trustees will be sworn in on Tuesday, October 26 at 3 pm followed at 5 pm by the organizational meeting. At that point, the board will have a new chair and CAPSC will have a new trustee liaison.

Around the province...

The Education Minister, Dave Hancock, blogged about "The Informed Transformation of Trusteeship." The Public School Boards Association of Alberta weighed in as well with their posting, "Big Opportunities Await School Boards Post-Election."

CAPSC Trustee meetings and membership

It was wonderful to see so many new faces at our CAPSC meeting on Wednesday! Welcome to all who joined us for the first time and we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.

I mentioned that we are looking for volunteers to join our Executive. We cannot continue to provide the support that we do without the generous effort of our volunteers and we can certainly use more help! Please speak with myself or Leslie Newton if you are interested.

I also mentioned that we are looking for members to attend Trustee meetings however it has come to my attention that I did not make clear that ONLY approved Executive members are permitted to attend Trustee meetings on behalf of CAPSC. The seat that we have at the Board meetings is specifically designated by the Trustees for a CAPSC Executive member.

In order to ensure that the voice of CAPSC remains strong and consistient it is preferable that any 'CAPSC' messaging, including social media, be sent by or vetted by the CAPSC Executive.

Respectfully,

Eryn Kelly

Coalition for Equal Access to Education: Candidate Questionnaires

Another great resource to help inform your vote. The Coalition for Equal Access to Education provided a questionnaire to trustee candidates around ESL issues. The answers have now been posted on their website.

Transformation of Education: Video Q & A with Education Minister Dave Hancock

Check out this video Q & A with the Education Minister - it runs just under 15 minutes. Questions came from the public all over Alberta. Of interest, is the discussion on the governance process/boards, wrap around services, personalized learning and technology.

Wards 3 and 4: Important Information for Voters!

As mentioned in a previous blog, there is some confusion around the intentions of public school trustee candidate Tanveer Taj. Mr. Taj is running against Lynn Ferguson, the incumbent trustee in Wards 3 and 4. CAPSC has had trouble connecting with Mr. Taj. He missed our forum and did not return our questionnaire - we have done our best to find information regarding his platform but have been unsuccessful.

CAPSC was finally able to connect with him the morning after he missed the ward 3 and 4 forum. In that phone conversation, he stated that his intention was to withdraw his name but he missed the deadline. We asked for written confirmation and he sent an email stating only that he would not be campaigning.

In the interest of providing our parents with information to make an informed vote, CAPSC placed a call this morning to Barb Clifford, the City of Calgary's Chief Returning Officer. She confirmed that his name would be on the ballot. However, he had the option to file a disclaimer and notice would be posted at all polling stations. Mr. Taj, in a phone conversation with Ms. Clifford this past Friday, declined to file that disclaimer. The disclaimer requires the candidate to state that if elected they would not take office. Mr. Taj plans to take office and sit as a public school board trustee if elected.

Your Vote is Important! - Media Release from PSBAA "Public Education Isn't Public Without Local Democracy

Public Education Isn’t Public Without Local Democracy

Alberta – Over the upcoming weeks, public school trustee candidates across Alberta will bring the democratic process to life as they campaign in their communities. Many Albertans will wonder: why do we bother electing school trustees in the first place?

“For over one hundred and twenty-five years, Alberta’s communities have governed their affairs through municipal councils and school boards,” explained Patty Dittrick, President of the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta. “Local democracy is an Alberta tradition that ensures our communities have effective and accountable self-government.”

“Public schools need effective local government that answers to the community because education plays a pivotal role in community building,” said Patty Dittrick. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s citizens; when the school board makes decisions about their education it has the same lasting effects on the community as municipal council decisions about infrastructure and bylaws. That’s why local democratic input in school board decisions is necessary.”

Albertans and members of the media are encouraged to ask school trustee candidates for their thoughts on the importance of local democracy to the public education system.

For more information about the history and importance of local democracy to the public education system, please contact Patty Dittrick at:


The Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta

#3, 9359, 67A Street

Edmonton, AB

T6B 1R7

Telephone: 780-479-8080

Email: media@public-schools.ab.ca

Wards 3 & 4 Trustee Forum: Make Sure You Vote!

The Trustee Forum for Wards 3 & 4 was held Monday night. Only one candidate was in attendance - the incumbent, Lynn Ferguson. Lynn took questions from the audience and a good discussion was had.

CAPSC did make contact with Tanveer Taj on nomination day but he did not return from filing his papers to pick up our candidate package. We made every effort to contact him since but we were not successful until the morning after the forum. Tanveer has told us he had changed his mind about running for the office of public school trustee shortly after he filed his papers. Unfortunately, he did not remove his name from the unofficial list within the 24 hour grace period so he was now on the official list. This means his name will be on the ballot. Therefore, it is important to get out and vote for public school trustee for Wards 3 & 4 to ensure a positive outcome.

Update:

Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 10:34 AM
Subject: ward 3,4

Hi Leslie,
As per discussed please note I am not taking part in any campaign for ward 3,4 Public School Board Trustee.

Thank you.


Tanveer Taj

CAPSC Feedback to Trustees on Tripartite Discussions on Workforce Stability and the Transformation of Education

As many of you know, CAPSC was asked by the Board of Trustees to respond to the following question, "From your association’s perspective, what changes in the K-12 education system will have the most impact on student success? Please provide us with your top three suggestions for changes." This feedback would form part of their response to the Alberta School Boards' Association (ASBA) who in turn will be representing school boards in a Tripartite Discussion with the Minister of Education and the Alberta Teachers' Association around workforce stability and the transformation of K - 12 education.

Given the very tight timeline, CAPSC was very pleased to hear from nearly 40 individuals and school councils. All responses were provided in a report to trustees and the items that appeared most frequently were Class Size, Principal/Teacher (support, professional development,evaluation, accountability), predictable and sustainable funding, and supports/resources for special needs and ESL. We will have more details available in our newsletter that will be out shortly.

Since then, we have heard back from the Executive Assistant to the Board of Trustees thanking parents and CAPSC executive on behalf of the Board for "responding to the Board’s request for input into the topics at the Alberta Education/ATA/ASBA discussion table. Please extend the Board’s thanks to all parents who took the time to respond on such very short notice." A link to the Board of Trustee's submission was also included.

World Teachers' Day

Today is World Teachers' Day!

As described on the UNESCO Website, "World Teachers’ Day, held annually on 5 October since 1994, commemorates the anniversary of the signing in 1966 of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. It is an occasion to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels." This year's theme is "Recovery Begins with Teachers."

CAPSC would like to extend our appreciation to all teachers for their dedication and the important role they play in our children's lives!

Calgary Herald Article: School Fees and Fundraising

A recent headline in the Calgary Herald stated that, “Student fees and fundraising will be used for new CBE tower.” The CBE subsequently issued a statement clarifying that student fees and fundraising dollars would not be used for this purpose.

Here are some links to help you learn more about student fees and fundraising:

CBE AR 7004: School Generated Funds (see section 6 and 7(1))

CBE AR 7005: School Fees

Alberta Education Website: Fees and Fundraising

School Act (see section 60(2))

ASBA Policy Advisory: Fees

ASBA Policy Advisory: Fundraising