Trustee Report - April 10, 2013

Two Hills Mennonite School sod turning – all government events were postponed after the recent passing of Ralph Klein, including the school sod turning for April 3. The school sod turning will be rescheduled for a future date.

Transportation Committee – met with school bus contractors to discuss local bussing issues and rates – the Board approved modest rate increases and agreed to cover the cost of the fuel subsidy grant, that the Province eliminated April 1, until June 2013. The Board also increased the inclement weather payout from two to three days and agreed to cover the costs incurred during driver evaluations. The Board is also writing a letter to the Education Minister asking for the fuel subsidy grant to be reinstated with the trigger rate being moved up to 85 cents/litre from the previous 65 cents.

Children’s Fair – the Board agreed to cover the cost of lunch for the local service providers and one newspaper ad for the upcoming annual Children’s Fair which provides information and referrals for parents of preschool children.

Registration fees – the Board approved a number of increases to school registrations fees. Many of the fees go to cover the cost of extra school activities such as swimming lessons and skating.

Policy review – Trustees reviewed and discussed policies regarding the recruitment of staff and student transportation.

Capital Plan – the Board approved its annual plan which lists its future school construction/renovation projects in order of priority: 1. Ashmont schools (modernization or new schools) 2. Two Hills Mennonite School (space constraints in new building) 3. New Myrnam (modernization) 4. Heinsburg (modernization).

Locally Developed Courses – the Board approved a number of courses for Regional H.S. and SPAEC that were developed by other school boards. They include a number of English as Second Language (ESL) courses as well as Forensics, Rock and Pop music, Yoga and Outdoor Education.

Superintendent’s Report:

Racette – the Board approved the Grade 6-8 students to be finished school a day earlier in June in order for staff to prepare for the move and for Portage to begin their construction plans. Grade 6-8 students will be done on Wednesday, June 26. Grade 9 students will still write their exams on June 27.

Heinsburg – the Board approved a request for staff to switch PD days in order to attend a school day at the Amiskwaciy Academy (an Edmonton school with a First Nations focus). Monday, April 29 will be a regular school day for students and Friday, April 19 will be the new PD day for Heinsburg students only.

School Administrators met for their monthly meeting on April 9. Discussed budget and staffing in preparation for 2013/2014. Also discussed bullying across the division to coincide with the new Education Act – taking an inventory of school-related policies and resources to adapt a division-wide approach on treating one another with respect and kindness (bullying prevention).

The Instructional Assistants PD day will take on Staff Appreciation Day next year instead of during Teachers Convention.

The Division is looking into purchasing an automated call-out system as another tool in contacting parents/guardians during snow days, etc. It can be adapted for individual buses or schools. Can also include multiple phone numbers, texts and email addresses. There is a message received feature, but schools would also ensure that contact is made if no contact made through the system. The annual contract cost is $11,000.

Admin Procedure 422 – Staff PD Opportunities – as already required by the Superintendent and Trustees, all division staff will require approval for professional development travel outside the province.

New Board Policy – Trustees will be circulating copies of a new division policy for the naming of schools and other division-owned facilities/spaces for feedback by School Councils and division staff.

Financial Report – Trustees have set May 28 for a special Budget meeting – early indicators show that the division will need to do some trimming for the 2013/2014 school year.

Capital Report:

• FG Miller – construction of gym to be completed by the fall
• Racette – Trustees will tour the renovation progress on April 24
• Two Hills Mennonite – the province has an ambitious completion date of fall, 2015. Students in the modulars are scheduled to be moved into the new school by next spring in order to accommodate the attachment of the modulars.

Bylaw 1-13 – Trustees passed three readings of a new bylaw pertaining to the disclosure of election contributions and expenses. A candidate will have to disclose any campaign contributions from outside sources exceeding $100. Candidates will not have to disclose costs if their personal contributions are under $5,000.

Trustee Report - March 13, 2013

Two Hills Mennonite School sod turning - April 3 at 1:30 p.m. - trustees discussed the agenda, list of invitees, protocols for the event.

Grad tokens - Board has been purchasing USB drives for the past couple of years - motion approved to continue with the USB drives as a gift for each SPERD graduate.

2013 School Board Elections - trustees considered a number of bylaws required leading up to October elections - elections will take place at the same time as municipal elections on October 21 and the term has been changed from three years to four years. For more information on becoming a trustee, visit the Alberta School Boards Association website at www.asba.ab.ca

Policy review and amendments – trustees reviewed policies 14 and 15 regarding hearings on teacher transfers and school closures – the policy committee also brought forward a number of amendments from previous policy reviews.

Superintendent's report:

Edwin Parr awards for first year teachers - nominations due April 5. Information will be brought forward to next admin council on March 20.

Mallaig School tour in February - great evidence of how a school is striving towards division goals. Next school tour tentatively planned for April.

Principals will be setting their priorities during budget discussions at the next admin council meeting.

Racette update - school construction completion date has been pushed back into April. Recommendation from school admin and superintendent that staff and students will move back to Racette home in August, 2013. Board approved recommendation.

Transportation committee – a number of challenges for administering in-town bussing  - extra admin fee of $15 for bus pass change - winter service bussing no longer applies (passes will be for the entire year) - if a child requires a seat on another bus, an extra fee will apply – information on changes will be handed to out to those who use the service. Board approved committee recommendations.

Fuel Price Contingency funding - as of April 1, the provincial funding will be eliminated - grant was used to offset the rising cost of fuel - means a loss of approximately $30,000 per month for our bus contractors.

Financial report:

March student count - second count assists with grant funding – 4085 students at Sept. 30 - March 1 count at 3984 - loss of 101 students. Affects English as Second Language grants and class size ECS (Kindergarten) grant.

March 7 provincial budget - province's fiscal year ends March 31. Some changes affect our current school year such as Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) grant and the fuel price contingency funding being eliminated April 1. Province made budget projections for each school division, but our numbers differ. (ie. Province suggested increase in enrolment, but our enrolment numbers have remained quite consistent over the past few years). – As a result of the provincial budget, our division will be down approx. $1 million in revenue vs. the province's projection of $249,000. We will need to reduce on the expense side, but it is too soon to determine exactly how it will impact the division. Other items, such as the elimination of the Community Spirit Grant and changes to Alberta Distance Learning will also have an impact on the division’s bottom line.

Capital projects:

THMS - contractor has started moving snow - April 2 pile driving - April 3 sod turning

Racette – construction completion moved back to April

FG Miller - gym likely won't be available to students until the fall

Workloads for teachers discussion at ASBA zone 2/3 meeting - total work time includes instructional time, assignable time as well as the marking, report cards, extracurricular activities, etc. - quite a bit of difference among teachers - even with assigned time - some boards have more teacher prep time than others.

Advocacy meeting with MLAs for zone 2/3 on March 21 - discussing capital needs, inclusive education, small schools, socio-economic issues, transportation and wrap-around services.

Rural Alberta education conference - three trustees attended in Canmore - attended sessions regarding Alberta student mentorship program, distance learning, entrepreneurship programs on iPads, driving simulation programs for logging industry, digitalization of student records and forms, rural school closures, communications consultants, partnering with U of Athabasca to develop android apps catered to the school division, green certificate program.

Utilization Report – trustees received their annual report on how space is being utilized in each of the division schools. The report is based on a provincial formula and a school is considered “full” at 85% capacity. Glen Avon is at 85%, but Two Hills Mennonite Schools sits at 140%. The division average is 63%. 

Trustee Report - February 13, 2013

Two Hills Mennonite sod turning – Sod turning event date set for April 3 1:30 pm on site.  Local and provincial dignitaries will present.

School Calendar – After a review process by school councils and administrators the 2013/14 calendar was approved and passed by the Board of Trustees.  Spring break will be left as presented in calendar draft 1 – it is following policy.  May 12 PD will move to May 16.

Promotion of 2013 School Board Elections – Information regarding upcoming trustee elections to be held on October 21, 2013 will be posted on division website, social media and advertised in local newspapers. There are two free sessions sponsored by the ASBA for individuals interested in school trusteeship. More information can be found at www.asba.ab.ca

Saddle Lake Arbor Funding Request – The division is very much in favour of the Saddle Lake Arbor project however we are unable to support financially.

Locally Developed Courses – The Board of Trustees approved the acquisition and use of Workplace Essentials skills 25-35 and Reading 15-25 as locally developed courses to be implemented in the 2013-2014 school year subject to any required approvals by Alberta Education.

Policy Review 10 & 13- trustees discussed policies 10 (Policy Making) and 13 (Appeals and Hearings Regarding Student Matters). Both policies are currently under review by the policy committee.

Incident Communications – the Board discussed communication protocols during an incident.  All communications are based on two priorities: protection of students and staff. All communication must have consideration given to criminal justice and the School Act as well as respecting and protecting the privacy and well-being of individual(s). This protocol is also reflected in the Fair Notice letter that is sent home every fall.

Alberta School Council Association Annual Conference & AGM – the Board approved and passed a motion to once again sponsor 2 parents from different school councils to attend the annual ASCA conference and AGM to be held in Edmonton on April 26-28.  Sponsorship is limited to conference fee and accommodation costs. Contact your local trustee for more information.

After School Care – An inquiry was made regarding the availability of the division providing after school care for students.  The Board is open to the concept if there were interested community partners but we are currently not in a financial position to operate a program solo at this time.

Bishop Meeting – The Board of Trustees will be meeting with newly installed Bishop Terrio on April 24 2013 for an informal meet and greet.

Superintendent Report :

• Alberta Education visited with Racette staff over lunch and debriefed over the Racette incident. Positive overall.
• School Websites have had some minor issues over the past few weeks and are being worked through. We apologize for any inconveniences.
• A fire occurred at the division’s maintenance shop.  Fire was limited to a small area but there was extensive smoke damage.  Insurance estimates could be 1-2 million dollars.  Thank you to fire responders for their quick and diligent response.
• There was some discussion at the recent administrators meeting regarding timing of Elementary report cards. Decision was made to leave them as is.
• Division Pow Wow to be tentatively held on September 20 2013 (June can be a conflict with exams and weather).
• Communications – all schools will be equipped with phones that plug into fax lines to ensure working phones during power outages.
• March admin meeting changed to March 20^th due to more information being available after the March 7 provincial budget announcement.
• Mallaig school to host the Board of Trustees for a tour and presentation on February 27.
• Threat assessment training to be late Fall.
• March 7 will be the announcement of the Provincial budget. Area school councils may be discussing 2013-14 school fees.  Some scholarships are having issues with regards to returns on investments due to low rates.  The Community Spirit grants have been extremely helpful in keeping them fluid.
• As of February 13^th 9 Racette students are attending school at the Regional High School site and 5 students have relocated to Portage site.

Capital Projects Update- FG Miller progress is going well but slightly behind due to steel orders. The Racette modernization is on schedule with possible completion by end of March with some exterior to be done when weather permits.  THMS received 8 bids with Jen-col Construction being awarded the successful tender.  Shop fire – most of the damage occurred in the warehouse but there is smoke damage to other areas.  Operations are still underway at current site but a construction trailer may be needed during reclamation process.

Trustee Attendance Schedule - 3 trustees will be attending the Rural Education Symposium in Canmore on March 3-5.  On February 27 the Board of Trustees will be attending Mallaig school for a tour/presentation. That same day the Board will meet with MLA Shayne Saskiw by videoconference.

Subdivision Application – The division received notice of an application for subdivision adjacent to the SPECS playground. We are aware that this is part of the East Central Francophone board’s process for selling their land.