Board Meeting: October 24, 2023
October 23, 2023
Agenda
Superintendent’s Reports
Boundary Change Process
Superintendent Mal Gill provided a brief overview of the growth seen in the Langley Secondary family of schools. He introduced Assistant Superintendent Lisa Lainchbury who provided a more detailed picture of the growth and the rationale for a potential boundary catchment change in elementary schools in the Langley Secondary family of schools. Lainchbury started the presentation with data of the enrolment growth in the region’s elementary schools from 2020-2023. As she explained, the majority of growth is at Nicomekl Elementary. There is growth in other neighbouring schools but that is due to the overflow impacts (students from Nicomekl Elementary being moved to other schools). Lainchbury went over the increasing trend in divisions at Nicomekl Elementary.
She informed the Board of current challenges with the potential catchment changes including adequate space for increasing divisions, meeting collective agreement language, having small group instruction spaces, among other items. She informed them of the current reality that students at Nicomekl are being moved to other schools. Lainchbury showed the breakdown of the number of students that have been moved over the last few years.
She shared the boundary change process and timeline. In October, the District shared the rationale and proposal to the administrators impacted. Thereafter, she will be attending elementary PAC meetings to share the information and to collect questions and concerns from members of the community.
She shared considerations for catchment changes which include the students that live in the catchment, the preschool-aged learners that live in the catchment, local knowledge of housing, and major roads, safe walk routes, among other items. She said that the Ministry expects to see schools full before expansions are built. The District is proposing these potential changes so that space can be provided in schools to ensure all families moving into the community have a placement.
Recommendation: That the Board of Education receives the report on the Boundary Change Process for information, as received.
The Board approved the report as presented. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Secretary-Treasurer’s Reports
Annual Five-Year Capital Plan Bylaw 2023-2024
Secretary-Treasurer Brian Iseli presented the Board with the annual five-year capital plan bylaw 2023-2024. He explained the process of the Ministry of Education and Child Care, which includes a letter to the District outlining the approval of projects. Among those approved by the Ministry included renovations at H.D. Stafford Middle for the food program. The District has also been approved for a prefabricated modular project at Richard Bulpitt Elementary. The project is expected to be completed and open by Fall 2024.
Recommendation: That the School District No. 35 (Langley) (Capital Plan 2023/2024) Capital Bylaw No. 2023/24-CPSD35-02 be given first reading.
Recommendation: That the School District No. 35 (Langley) (Capital Plan 2023/2024) Capital Bylaw No. 2023/24-CPSD35-02 be given second reading.
Recommendation: That the Board of Education of School District No. 35 (Langley) approves having all three readings of the (Capital Plan 2023/2024) Capital Bylaw No. 2023/24-CPSD35-02 at tonight’s meeting.
Recommendation: That the School District No. 35 (Langley) (Capital Plan 2023/2024) Capital Bylaw No. 2023/24-CPSD35-02 be given third reading, passed and adopted on this 24th day of October 2023.
The Board approves the above motions. The video above will begin on this agenda item
Funding Enrolment Update
Secretary-Treasurer Brian Iseli provided a funding enrolment update for the Board. He provided the data for each student category including regular students, alternate, continuing education and other categories. He told the District is up 454 FTEs from the budget in the regular student category, representing a net funding increase from the budget of $3,920,602. The total Ministry funded students has grown by more than 1,000 which is one of the highest increases in student enrolment in the province.
Recommendation: That the Board of Education receives the Funding and Enrolment Update for information, as presented.
The Board approved the above motion. The video above will begin on this agenda item.