Regular Board Meeting: January 28, 2025
January 27, 2025
Agenda
The Regular Meeting of the Langley Board of Education was held in-person and streamed online.
Superintendent’s Reports
Early Years Programs and Child Care
District Principal of Early Learning Charlene Redekop provided the Board with an overview of the District’s Early Learning programming. She explained that there are currently two models of child care: Seamless Day Kindergarten and Before and After School Care, which are programs licensed by Fraser Health.
Seamless Day Kindergarten programming provides before and after school care options, utilizes Early Childhood Education (ECE) staff, reduces transitions for students, and provides additional supports during the day for those students. Before and After School Care programming is staffed by Special Education Assistants (SEA) from the school. The program is currently available at five sites across the District. There are a total of 90 students that receive child care each week. Redekop explained the benefits for the District to run this program which include the flexible use of space, continuity of staff for children, space for children, support plans, and programming. The goal is to provide “seamless care” as she described, having the same adult in the day and after school to support students. She also noted that there are plans for growth with programs expanding to Josette Dandurand Elementary and Langley Meadows Elementary.
Redekop talked about JB4, which stands for “Just Be Four”, which is a licensed preschool program, currently operating at three different schools. She explained other early learning programming including StrongStart which runs out of six different sites. Lastly, she noted that there are other early years learning opportunities throughout the year such as Child Day and pop-up events at elementary schools.
The board approved the report as presented. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Career and Transitions – Actions and Data
Deputy Superintendent Woody Bradford provided the Board with an update on career transitions – actions and data. He said the goal is to make seamless transitions for students in education. Transitions start in the early years, and carry out through a student’s education journey. He defined the meaning of transitions and how it is important to know what the transitions are as well as knowing the gifts of every student. He said the work in ensuring successful transitions is rooted in the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning, particularly the three pillars: intellectual development, social and human development, and career transitions. He said it is important to know each child, their story, and their transitions as he noted some students have three transitions, and some other students have more. Students need the tools and support to help them reach successful transitions. He outlined the District’s Ensouling our Schools three block model (systems and structures, instructional practice, and social emotional learning), which is critical in supporting successful career transitions.
District Principal Mike Pue shared the data of the most recent five-year and six-year completion rates (2023-2024). He explained how five-year completion rates looks at a cohort of students from grade 8, follows them for five years, and gauges how many of them complete school successfully. The six-year rates look at the cohort over a six-year span. He said that in Langley the data is positive. A slide shown indicated the five-year completion rate for all learners in the District was 93.6% which was higher than the previous year (92.3%). Another slide shown indicated the six-year completion rate for all learners in the District was 95.8% which was higher than the previous year (95%). Both rates are also higher than the provincial average. He said that in both rates there was a trajectory upward after the implementation of the District’s Ensouling our Schools actions and initiatives a few years ago. In general, the data indicates an upward trend for priority learners, but he did emphasize how more work was needed to help improve these rates. He also shared data from grade to grade transitions and compared rates for priority learners. The data indicated that more work was needed in helping priority learners transition from grade to grade.
District Principal Kendra Simonetto provided an overview on career education. She opened by explaining how in career education they have made a shift in asking students “What do you want to do?” to “Who do you want to be in this world?” instead. She shared with the Board the department’s vision: all learners are empowered to navigate meaningful and future pathways which includes access points for all, opportunities to explore, and self-discovery.
She shared some of the targeted actions in career education and progress that has been made in Capstones, Expanding Pathways and Opportunities and other strategies to support transitions. Examples of actions in progress include the Biomedical Dual Credit program which launches in February 2025, the STRIVE program through Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) to offer university courses, the addition of the Welding Youth Train in Trades program, the Health Career Experiential Learning Grant, and work to ensure information about career ed programs are accessible to all families. Lastly, the department works to support successful transitions of students by having ongoing conversations with administrators to identify supports and interventions and engaging school teams to proactively identify needs for supports through supportive systems and structures.
Walnut Grove Principal Jeremy Lyndon shared examples of how his school supports successful transitions. The school has many strategies in place to support students transitioning from elementary to secondary including middle school blocks, the Gator Quality Ambassador program, among other things. He said some of the strategies are for all students and some are targeted at students with different needs. He said staff work to support students with course transitions and grade transitions. Basically, students will work with a list of students who are at risk of not completing a course or not completing a grade, and they will find ways to support those students. The staff work with the students to make adjustments so they can pass a course and/or graduate. The staff work with students on their pathways options, learning about what credits, and requirements they need for post-secondary and careers. Lyndon said that the school also tracks data and works on interventions and supports for literacy and numeracy.
Deputy Superintendent Woody Bradford closed the presentation mentioning how highly effective highly effective teams in our schools work together to help improve transitions.
The Board approved the report as presented. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Secretary-Treasurer’s Reports
Annual Review of Trustee Remuneration
Secretary-Treasurer Brian Iseli provided some background information on the inception of the Trustee Remuneration policy which was passed by a previous Board. At that time, it was recommended and approved for trustee salaries to be adjusted in January of each year.
Recommendation: That the Board of Education approves the increase of 1.8% effective January 1, 2025 based on the 12 month change in Canada Consumer Price Index (CPI) in accordance with Board Policy 7: Board Operations, section 11 and to update the salaries in Policy 7: Board Operation, section 11.1 with the new salaries.
The board approved the above motion as presented. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Southwest Latimer Area Land Purchase Bylaw 2025 Regular Board Meeting
Secretary-Treasurer Brian Iseli explained the plan to purchase land for another elementary school site as per the District’s five-year capital plan. The District has undergone the process of determining the price which has been approved. He said the next step is for the Board to approve the bylaw to purchase the land. He noted that the Ministry also needs to supply funding for the purchase of the land.
Recommendation: That The Board of Education of School District No. 35 (Langley) – Southwest Latimer Area Land Purchase Bylaw 2025 be given first reading.
Recommendation: That The Board of Education of School District No. 35 (Langley) – Southwest Latimer Area Land Purchase Bylaw 2025 be given second reading.
Recommendation: That The Board of Education of School District No. 35 (Langley) unanimously approves having all three readings of Southwest Latimer Area Land Purchase Bylaw 2025 at tonight’s meeting.
Recommendation: That The Board of Education of School District No. 35 (Langley) Southwest Latimer Area Land Purchase Bylaw 2025 be given third reading, passed and adopted on the 28th day of January, 2025.
The Board approves the above motions. The video above will begin on this agenda item.
Policy Committee
Notice of Motion Return: Policy 3 Appendix A: Services, materials and equipment provided to Trustees
Recommendation: That the Board of Education approves Policy 3 Appendix A: Services, Materials and Equipment Provided to Trustees as presented.
Notice of Motion: Policy 7: Board Operations
Recommendation: That the Board of Education serves Notice of Motion to the District’s education community and its education partner groups that it intends to adopt the revisions to Policy 7: Board Operations at the April 29, 2025 Regular Board Meeting
Notice of Motion: Policy 19: Naming of Schools
Recommendation: That the Board of Education serves Notice of Motion to the District’s education community and its education partner groups that it intends to adopt the revisions to Policy 19: Naming of Schools at the April 29, 2025 Regular Board Meeting.
The Board approves the above motions. The video above will begin on this agenda item.