The Report of the SD61 Committee on Public Engagement is posted on the SD61 website. No Trustees were allowed to participate, by a motion carried by a majority of the Board. Have a look at the proposed 14 restrictions on asking a question at a Board meeting if you’re a member of the public.
Live links in red.
It’s always “Budget Season” but the focus intensifies at this time of the school year. SD61 is facing an approximately $11 million structural deficit as we go into this round of determining what to cut this year. The last last ten years of archived minutes are full of budget-related the comments indicating “Enough is enough”, “This can’t go on”, etc. The March 27, 2006 Special Board meeting minutes note “With the exception of three years, the school district has been faced with budget cuts since 1991.” In minutes of the April 21, 2004 Board meeting to approve the budget, one trustee is on record saying “…at some point every board must say “enough is enough” and stand up in unanimity to state that public education needs to be restored” . That trustee and one other voted against the Budget Bylaw. That was ten years ago now. The Cowichan Board was recently fired by the Minister of Education for standing up for the needs of students in public education in BC.
Partner Group Budget Input 2014/2015: Responses to November 15, 2013 Input Request From School Planning Councils and Education Partner Groups : Document posted on SD61 website. . One recommendation is to close schools. Your child’s school?
