Board News: Tuesday March 12, 2019
March 12, 2019
The Regular Meeting of the Langley Board of Education will be streamed live beginning at 7:00pm. A link to the video feed will be posted here in Board News just prior to the start of the meeting.
Agenda
Delegations
Exclusion Tracker Reporting – Members (Juliet Henderson-Rahbar and Sandra Schmidt), from BCEdAccess which is a grassroots advocacy group, gave a presentation on the organization’s Exclusion Tracker. The Exclusion Tracker is an initiative showing that children with designations are being excluded from school and don’t have an equitable access to education. The representatives explained how students with designations are excluded from field trips, extracurricular activities, and from learning in the classroom due to a lack of staff. The speakers encouraged the Board to use the Exclusion Tracker and document its own data. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Superintendent’s Report
District Athletics – District Athletic Directors John Hantke and Jono Harris shared the District’s new athletics vision with the Board. They explained the background of why a vision was necessary, noting how a few years ago the District identified a need for a sustainable recruitment and retention plan for coaches as well as an athletics banquet to celebrate successes and help build community. After months of work, a committee came up with the vision – its purpose is to inspire all athletes and create a lasting legacy. As part of the vision, there is a set of next steps to roll it out to the District. Examples include sending out a graphic version of the athletic vision board to schools for placement in the gym and smaller versions to be placed on coach clipboards. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
IDEA Summit 2019 – Director of Instruction Dawne Tomlinson updated the Board on the upcoming IDEA Summit and related activities. The IDEA Summit is an initiative inspiring entrepreneurship, fostering creativity and enabling students to showcase innovative ideas (whether it’s a product or service). The IDEA Summit, which takes place on May 8, 2019, is a full-day event. As part of this year’s activities, the District will also be hosting IDEA X, which is a competition for groups of students to take part in with the goal to find solutions to global challenges for a chance to win a $20,000 prize. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Learning Support Services – Director of Learning Support Services Michael Morgan presented an overview of the Learning Support Services vision. He explained the evolution of Learning Support Services in education and how it has gone through the following stages: inclusion, segregation, exclusion, and integration. He highlighted how diversity should be a starting point to understanding the vision – to nurture the gift of diverse learners. As part of the vision, Learning Support Services has identified three main roles: to support, to equip, and to inspire. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Secretary Treasurer’s Report
Funding Model Review – Secretary Treasurer Brian Iseli updated the Board on recommendations based on a new funding model proposed by the Ministry of Education. He noted the current funding model is based on per student funding but a change could see funding determined by student needs and other factors. The new funding model does not include an increase in funds for district but would give districts the flexibility to decide how/where to allocate funds. The recommendations were broken down into the following categories: Equity of Educational Opportunities, Accountability, and Financial Management. The Secretary Treasurer and some trustees expressed concerns with the funding model citing the changes could negatively impact students. The video above will begin on this agenda item.