LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY AND SERVICE FOR MANITOBA S PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARDS

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1 LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY AND SERVICE FOR MANITOBA S PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARDS April 21, 2015 The Honourable Peter Bjornson Minister of Education and Advanced Learning Legislative Building Broadway Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8 Dear Minister Bjornson, On behalf of the Manitoba School Boards Association I am pleased to share with you a copy of resolutions and position statements passed by the MSBA s membership at the 2015 annual general meeting held March 20, Among the subjects addressed by the 2015 resolutions, a major concern is the delay and difficulty which boards often experience with the criminal records and child abuse registry checks for potential school personnel and community volunteers. These delays have implications for employment and volunteerism, and consequently for programming in Manitoba schools. Beyond the resolutions which speak to specific issues and topics, three comprehensive position statements were also adopted by the MSBA s membership and are included here for your information. Established practice of the MSBA is to invite your written response to the enclosed resolutions, but also to invite you to meet in person with the association s provincial Executive at its regular meeting on June 1, 2015 to discuss the resolutions and also to explore any other matters that you may wish to bring to our attention. Association staff will be in touch with your office to confirm your availability for this meeting and we sincerely hope your schedule will accommodate this invitation. In the interim, the MSBA extends its appreciation to you for meeting with our board chairs and participating in MSBA s Celebration of Success and other AGM events last month. The MSBA and its membership value our positive working relationship with your department and we are committed to continued collaboration with government to serve the educational needs of students and communities across our province. Sincerely, Ken Cameron President KC/ak cc Manitoba School Boards MSBA Provincial Executive 191 PROVENCHER BOULEVARD, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA R2H 0G4 l PHONE l TOLL FREE l FAX l

2 BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS 51st Annual Convention March 19-21, 2015 Delta Winnipeg, 350 St. Mary Ave Resolutions to the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Minister of Education and Advanced Learning

3 MSBA 2015 RESOLUTIONS CRIMINAL RECORDS AND CHILD ABUSE REGISTRY CHECKS BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Manitoba School Boards Association advocate with all levels of government to assist employees, prospective employees and volunteers of school divisions to obtain criminal record and child abuse registry checks in a timely manner. School Divisions are entrusted to keep students and staff safe while in the care of the school system. A means to achieve a safe and secure environment is to ensure that all staff members and volunteers have the appropriate criminal record and child abuse registry checks complete and on file before service commences. Unfortunately, staff members continue to face obstacles obtaining record checks such as related expenses for travel time to RCMP/Police detachments and difficulties with arranging appointments with the RCMP/Police especially in rural areas where an employee may have to drive an enormous distance to the nearest detachment. These obstacles could affect their employment/volunteerism with the school division and therefore student programming. SUPPORT FOR PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMMING BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Manitoba School Boards Association lobby Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning for resources to fund pre-kindergarten initiatives such as nursery school, and to consider prekindergarten programming within the mandate of Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning. In a number of circumstances, paid nursery school programming is not available and/or is not accessible for families and children who may benefit most from it. Divisions which have already begun to support this type of programming are seeing the benefit, with children more ready to begin grade one and in some cases with increased achievement even noted in grade three. Without equity of access to this type of programming, children within Manitoba do not have equal opportunity to begin their learning pathway in as positive a manner as possible and with the same degree of readiness. REVISED FUNDING FORMULA BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoba School Boards Association Executive lobby the Minister of Education and Advanced Learning to develop a revised funding formula that is less complex, is more transparent and more easily understood. The current formula is indecipherable for the majority of those most affected by it. The number of categorical grants adds to the complexity and creates a sense of inequity of opportunity and a perception of inconsistent application. A formula that is more transparent and more easily understood would help to assure the public that tax dollars are used in a fair and equitable manner. 1 P a g e

4 ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoba School Boards Association Executive lobby the Minister of Education and Advanced Learning for the recognition and treatment of Aboriginal languages as Founding languages, with the standing and funding befitting of our official languages. SUPPORT FOR NEW SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONS BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoba School Boards Association lobby the Government of Manitoba to increase funding for the construction of new schools and additions to existing schools so that funding properly reflects the needs of communities at the time that those needs arise. AND THAT the level of funding support provided, better reflect the true costs to school divisions to construct, commission, and open new facilities. The Public Schools Finance Board of Manitoba provides funding for the construction of new schools and additions to existing schools. In areas of rapid student population growth, the provision of permanent classroom spaces through the construction of new schools or additions to existing ones falls far behind the demand. This forces school divisions to overcrowd existing schools in surrounding communities and may compromise learning until such time as new classroom space is made available. In addition, when a construction project is awarded to a division, significant expenses, both capital and operating are incurred in order to open the new space. The PSFB award does not include sufficient funding to complete these projects to a standard of completion. These concerns need to be formally brought to the attention of the Manitoba Government with a view to bringing the level of support for capital projects in line with the needs of Manitoba students. PISA AND P-CAP RESULTS BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Manitoba School Boards Association request that the Province of Manitoba make available to each school division its own PISA and P-CAP assessment results. School divisions are capable of analyzing data for the purpose of systemic improvement. School divisions understand that these results are not indicators of individual performance, but are more tool for administration to use as indicators of student achievement from a divisional perspective. The results from the assessments would provide additional data to inform divisional plans to improve student learning. 2 P a g e

5 FIRST NATIONS EDUCATION FUNDING BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoba School Boards Association lobby the federal government to renew negotiations with First Nations to establish a robust education funding policy for First Nations education that will allow First Nations students to access programs and services comparable to those enjoyed by students in provincial public schools. First Nations schools across the country are funded at a level significantly below that for public schools within the same province. Facilities for are often inadequate, resources are lacking and teacher turnover is high. The First Nations Education Act proposed in 2013 does not address these fundamental issues and is yet another example of failed colonial approaches to First Nations education. The bill was not supported by First Nations leaders and discussions between the federal government and FN leaders appear to have stalled. For First Nations education reform to succeed it must be founded on principles of equity and fairness and must have the full support of First Nations. To quote John Ralston Saul, There is the embarrassment of federal underfunding of Indigenous education. It simply has to stop. Here is one of the most humiliating failures of our will to act as citizens with a parallel sense of responsibility and empathy. BUILDING OF NEW SCHOOLS BE IT RESOLVED that the Manitoba School Boards Association Executive lobby the Minister of Education and Advanced Learning to ensure that decisions regarding the building of new schools be made on the basis of the needs of students and recent and projected student enrolment growth. There are times when the announcement of a new school appears to be based more on considerations of the adults working in the system rather than on the needs of students. Some school divisions show steady student enrolment, or slight declines and have new schools announced. Other school divisions show rapid growth and projections of continued growth and are not successful in their requests for new classroom space. 3 P a g e

6 MSBA POSITION STATEMENTS PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC EDUCATION The Manitoba School Boards Association believes that the purpose of public schooling is to provide for the development of all children, so that each may take a meaningful place in society. The Manitoba School Boards Association has identified the following principles as key to the fulfilment of that purpose. The public school system provides quality programming that respects the intrinsic value of the individual and focuses on the development of each child. Public school programming reflects a contemporary view of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are of most worth to the individual and to society. Public schools reflect the character, cultural heritage, and democratic institutions of the communities they serve. The public school system demonstrates respect and support for fundamental human rights as identified in Canadian and provincial legislation. Public schooling is a responsibility shared among the school, the family, and the community. SCHOOL BOARDS AND TRUSTEES Authority The Manitoba School Boards Association believes that locally elected school boards are essential to ensuring community voice in public education, and that to be effective in this regard, they require the authority to make local decisions within broad parameters established by provincial legislation. This authority, which resides with the corporate board and not individual trustees, includes the ability to: access revenue beyond that which is provided by the provincial government for education purposes, through mechanisms such as the local special levy on property; manage financial, capital and human resources in an effective and efficient manner; determine and modify as necessary the school division s own internal operating structures; and adapt or develop curricula and establish academic requirements or standards that reflect community needs or values. Responsibility The Manitoba School Boards Association also believes that the exercise of authority brings with it responsibility. In this light, school boards have a responsibility to: abide by all relevant laws by which they are bound, while retaining the right to try to influence the legislative process, or advocate for changes to existing laws; conduct school board business in an open and transparent manner, limiting the use of in-camera deliberations for those matters requiring confidentiality; preserve to the greatest extent possible the integrity of the school board and the office of school trustee through the development and enforcement of a strong school trustee code of conduct; and keep the best interest of students at the forefront of all deliberations. 4 P a g e

7 FACILITIES AND MATERIALS The Manitoba School Boards Association believes that appropriate school facilities and material resources are essential components of a strong public education system, and as such, must be available to all students and staff, in all areas of the province. Specifically: infrastructure such as high-speed Internet must be in place in all Manitoba schools, to enable students to participate fully in curricular offerings; new schools must be built, and existing schools retrofitted as required, to ensure accessibility and to meet the needs of students and other persons with disabilities; school boards must be involved in the planning of new residential developments to help ensure appropriate accommodations are made for public schools; and land required for new school sites must be made available to school divisions at a reasonable cost. 5 P a g e