The Board of Education Highlights provide updates on presentations and decisions made during the Board Meetings. For more information, please visit our District website where you can view the full agenda and video stream of the meeting: www.sd61.bc.ca/board-of-education/meetings-of-the-board/
Board Meeting Highlights – November 2020
Annual Trustee Elections
Nominations were called for the position of Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Board representatives for the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the British Columbia School Trustees’ Association Provincial Councillor (BCSTA).
Jordan Watters was voted as Board Chair. This will be her third term serving as Board Chair. Elaine Leonard was acclaimed as Vice Chair of the Board of Education.
Trustee Tom Ferris was acclaimed as the Board representative for BCPSEA. Trustee Ryan Painter was elected as the Board Representative for BCSTA.
Elected Trustees will assume these roles for a year.
MyEd (Student Information System) Forms
The Board approved a motion to write the Ministry of Education requesting that MyEd, an online resource platform for B.C. school districts, be more inclusive in specific forms and include an “X” option under gender categories so individuals do not need to identify exclusively as female or male. The letter will also request that notification of gender for parents and siblings is removed from forms.
Foundation Skills Assessment
The Board approved a motion to write the Ministry of Education requesting the cancellation of the Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) for the 2020-2021 school year during COVID-19. As it stands, the Ministry has postponed the administration of the FSA until January 18-February 26, 2021.
School Garden Policy 6161.5
The Board voted to adopt a new policy endorsing the value of school gardens and directed the Superintendent to develop an administrative procedure to guide schools in their gardening initiatives.
Local Education Agreement between SD61 and Songhees Nation
The Board approved the final version of the Local Education Agreement (LEA) with Songhees Nation, an important mechanism to increase accountability and to promote and achieve effective working relationships between First Nations and local boards of education, enabling them to work collaboratively to support First Nation students.
School Closure Process: Craigflower/Shoreline Seismic
Craigflower Elementary and Shoreline Middle Schools both require significant seismic mitigation and through the District’s capital planning department, seismic options have been explored for upgrading both schools.
In May 2020, the Board was provided a range of potential options, including the closure of Craigflower Elementary and the relocation of the school to an expanded Shoreline Middle school site for a K-8 configuration. Since then, the Board has invoked Policy 3711: Principles, Criteria and Public Consultation for School Closure to allow for public engagement.
At Monday’s Board meeting, the Board approved a process to engage the public in consideration of the Craigflower School closure. No final decisions have been made on the future of these school sites. The consultation process will inform the Board’s decision-making.
SJ Burnside Upgrade Project Report
The Board was provided a report handout in response to a June 2020 Board motion requesting a budget and expense report on the SJ Burnside renovation project. The report will be placed on the December 7, 2020 operations agenda for more discussion. In the meantime, the report can be found here: www.sd61.bc.ca/board-of-education/meetings-of-the-board/
Turf Fields
The Board extended its agreement with Lakehill Soccer Association for use of the Braefoot turf field for a period of 10 years. The Board also approved an addendum to its agreement with Bays United Football Club to extend the 10 year turf renewal schedule since the new turf was replaced in Summer 2020.
To learn more about the Board’s upcoming work and to prepare for upcoming conversations, please visit the Board’s Annual Work Plan: www.sd61.bc.ca/board-of-education/governance-framework-and-annual-work-plan/