Regional Office – 

Board weighs in on School Act
On September 27-28, trustees Jackie Comeau and Judy Lefebvre, the local Council of School Councils chair, as well as Superintendent David Garbutt and Secretary Treasurer Tracy Meunier will participate in Alberta Education’s two-day stakeholder conversation. Board Chair Jennifer Tuininga will also attend in the capacity as one of the Board of Directors for the Alberta School Boards Association.

What’s on the table for discussion:

• Should access to an education program be extended from age 19 to age 20?
• Should there be a common age of entry before entering kindergarten? Currently it’s different amongst jurisdictions. For example, in PHPS, a parent may enrol their child in kindergarten if the child’s 5th birthday falls on or before December 31. In other jurisdictions the date is February 28.
• Education Services agreements between school jurisdictions and either a First Nation or the federal government on behalf of a First Nation – which enable First Nations students living on-reserve to attend a provincial school within the jurisdiction.
• School fees – a discussion on the potential next steps regarding the government’s approach to school fees reductions.
• Busing – a discussion on school transportation issues, such as board and parent responsibility, the 2.4 kilometre walk limit, and transportation for students attending programs of choice, including French immersion and bilingual programs.

How our students did on Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Exams
The board will hear PAT and Diploma exam results on October 11 during their In Camera session. Provincial protocol details how the results are communicated, and Alberta Education will release the information to the public on October 12.  A full report, with analysis, will be shared at the October 25 board meeting.

Teacher Support Fees eliminated
The board eliminated the $5/credit/student fee for schools who wish to access teaching resources from the Alberta Distance Learning Centre effective the 2017-18 school year.

The rationale for the elimination of the fee was that the province, through the ADLC service agreement with the board, has provided funding to develop these teaching resources. The fee should not inhibit schools who wish to access the teaching resources.

Board self-evaluates
The school board is required to conduct a self-evaluation each year as outlined in Policy 7-12 Board Self-Evaluation. In this evaluation they reflect on the work of the board over the past year, and set areas of emphasis for the coming year. Here is a link to the summary report.

The next regular board meeting is on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at the Westlock Outreach School starting at 9:30 a.m. The public is welcome to attend.