The Secretary-Treasurer first called for nominations for the position of Chairman of the Board. The Secretary-Treasurer called for nominations for the position of Chairman of the Board a second time. The Secretary-Treasurer called for nominations for the position of Chairman of the Board for the third time.
The Chairman first called for nominations for the position of Vice-Chairman of the Council. The Chairman called for nominations for the second time for the position of Vice-Chairman of the Council. The Chairman called for nominations for the third time for the position of Vice-Chairman of the Council.
On behalf of the teachers in the Cowichan Valley Teachers Union, Louise Thomson welcomed the Board, thanked the Trustees for their participation in the All Candidates Meeting and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work together with a focus on diversity, inclusion and truth and reconciliation. Vice-Principal - Mark Williams (Interim) Maple Bay Elementary Principal - Venessa MacDowell (Interim) Tansor Elementary Principal - Fiona Somerville.
Board of Education Liaisons for Schools – 2022-23
SD79 (Cowichan Valley) Board of Education
Appointments
Representative on BCSTA Provincial Council Trustee – Elizabeth Croft
Representative on Vancouver Island Branch BCSTA (Reports) Trustee – Cathy Schmidt
Representative on BCPSEA/Vancouver Island Labour Relations Council Trustee – Jennifer Strachan
Board & District Committees
Board Education and Business Standing Committee – (All Trustees) Chair – Randy Doman
Advisory Standing Committee – (All Trustees) Chair – Elizabeth Croft
Audit Standing Committee – (3 members) Chair – Cathy Schmidt
Human Resources Standing Committee – (3 members) Chair – Elizabeth Croft
Attendance & Wellness Committee – (1 member, 1 alternate) Trustee – Eduardo Sousa
Early Learning and Child Care Standing Committee – (3 members, 1 alternate) Chair – Cindy Lise
Climate Action Standing Committee – (3 members, 1 alternate) Chair – Eduardo Sousa
Cowichan Secondary School Replacement – Trustee Appointments Cowichan Tribes Vision Team – Joe Thorne and
Contacts to Organizations
Contact - Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce Trustee – Vacant
Contact - Duncan/Cowichan Chamber of Commerce Trustee – Joe Thorne
Contact - Lake Cowichan Chamber of Commerce Trustee – Jennifer Strachan
Contact to Our Cowichan Trustee – Elizabeth Croft
Contact to Housing and Homelessness Coalition Trustee – Cindy Lise
Contact to Community Action Team Trustee – Eduardo Sousa
WINTER BREAK OFFICE HOURS
November 30, 2022
Type of Funding*
Information received in Joint Plan Amount Approved
- Special supports
- Extracurricular transportation
- To / From school
- Special supports
- Capital Buses
This amount is automatically distributed based on the number of students ordinarily living on reserve as recorded in a reconciliation of data between the Provincial 1701 calculation and the Indigenous Services Canada Nominal Roll for 2021/22. If this value is zero, your carryover funding was more than the approved value of the Joint Plan. Appendix B outlines the funds approved for the Joint Plan between your School District and each First Nation.
Funding transfers to school districts for To/from school transportation are calculated based on what is approved from the Joint Plans minus the cumulative transfer funding for to/from school and special supports. The purpose of this funding is not to replace operating funding that was previously in place for the provision of transportation for First Nations students prior to the introduction of the joint plans. If transportation services are contracted to First Nations, the School District is encouraged to transfer funding and not wait for the BCTEA special grant payment from the Ministry.
The BCTEA tripartite committee has conducted a thorough review of parent transport funding and it is expected that students on reserve will be bussed to school. Parent transportation assistance may only be considered on a case-by-case basis under exceptional/unique situations where no other forms of transportation are available. School of choice is not an exceptional circumstance to be considered for parental assistance funding.
Parental assistance may also be funded from pre-existing school district funding sources and, if paid from school district funding for non-native students, may not be eligible for consideration under a joint plan. The Ministry of Education and Childcare committed one-time capital to school districts for bus procurement in the 2019/20 school year.
3 - Bus shelters
- Extracurricular transportation
- Special Grant
- Reporting
- Assessment
Reporting related to the utilization of extramural transportation funding is critical to establishing participation rates and associated transportation costs so that funding needs for future years can be assessed by the BCTEA. After the 2022/23 school year, the parties at BCTEA (BC, Canada, First Nations Education Steering. Committee) will evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy to address and resolve transportation issues for First Nation students attending BC public schools. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we navigate the complex process involved.
Appendix A – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Question: What sources of funding can school districts use to transport on reserve students to BC public schools?
- Question: Why was our parental transportation assistance request not approved this year, even though it was approved in previous years?
- Question: We have First Nations students from within our school district boundaries who board at homes within the School District, usually in town, during the school week so that they are closer to
- Question: How will First Nations receive transportation (parental) assistance reimbursement from the School District when a parent / guardian drives student(s) to an extracurricular activity?
- Question: How will activities be prioritized for funding when funds are limited within the School District / First Nation allocation?
- Question: What happens when funding runs out and the activity has not completed?
- Question: What activities qualify for the extracurricular transportation funding?
- Question: Are dual credit courses covered under extracurricular transportation funding?
- Question: Will treaty First Nations be allocated extracurricular transportation funding?
- Question: Are First Nation students who are required to leave home to attend school and are boarded and billeted eligible for extracurricular transportation funding?
Question: How will First Nations receive reimbursement for transportation (parent) assistance from the school district when a parent/guardian drives student(s) to an after-school activity. Response: First Nations and school districts must work together to establish a process that works for all parties involved, including following mileage reimbursement policies. Question: How will activities be prioritized for funding when funds are limited within the school district/First Nation allocation.
Answer: Since this funding is targeted to extracurricular activities, it is up to the First Nation and the School District to allocate the funds to best support student needs. Therefore, if the targeted transportation funding expires, the First Nation and School District will need to consider alternative funding or transportation options to continue to support student recreational activities. Answer: Extracurricular activities are activities that do not fall within the scope of a regular curriculum, but are often related to officially or semi-officially sanctioned and usually organized school-based student activities (such as athletics) that are associated with the school and usually do not provide any academic credit.
Answer: No, transportation to dual credit courses/programs are part of a regular school day, which are administered by the school districts. Answer: Currently, funding for extracurricular transportation does not extend to Self-Government and Treaty First Nations. Q: Are First Nation students who are required to leave home to attend school and who are boarded and billed eligible for extracurricular transportation funding.
Answer: Boarding students may be eligible for transport funding from the place where they are boarded / quartered to the extracurricular activity.
Appendix B – Specific Funding Allocation for School District SD79– SD Cowichan Valley
Band Name (Number) To / From To / From Reporting
Special Supports
Special Supports Reporting
MINUTES OF THE BOARD EDUCATION AND BUSINESS COMMITTEE
- CALL TO ORDER
- ADOPTION OF AGENDA
- PETITIONS AND DELEGATIONS 6. EDUCATION
- BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
- POLICY
- ADJOURNMENT
34;That the Board Education and Business Committee approve the minutes of the special meeting of the Board Education and Business Committee of April 14, 2022.". 34;That the Board Education and Business Committee approve the minutes of the Board Education and Business Committee of April 26, 2022. Committee meeting.". 34;That the Education and Business Committee of the Council approve the minutes of the special meeting of the Education and Business Committee on April 28, 2022.".
Some of the lesson topics included anti-racism, inclusion, truth and reconciliation, SOGI, anti-homophobia, anti-biphobia, anti-transphobia, homelessness and healthy relationships. Outdoor Learning - Monthly outdoor learning experiences were sent to schools to try out, which also built the confidence of teachers to take their learning outside the classroom. At the end of the year/course, one summary of learning will be reported using the proficiency scale for K-9 and letter grades and percentages for grades 10-12.
Core competency self-reflections and goal setting will be communicated three times, as part of the two learning updates and the final summary of learning. CSL provides regular communication to both students and parents/guardians about how learning is progressing and provides authentic evidence of learning. Points of progress are continuous communication that is completed in the rhythm of learning, without set times, but when there is something of value or importance that needs to be communicated.
Learning summaries are held twice a year to provide a mid-year snapshot and end-of-year/course summary. The first is the accumulated operating surplus, which has already been approved by the Board. The second is the Financial Planning and Reporting Policy (PPAR), which is required to be in effect by the end of the school year.
34;That the Education and Business Committee of the Council recommends Policy 24 - Financial Planning and Reporting to the Council for approval.".
HIGHLIGHTS
District Student Advisory Committee (DSAC) Meeting
The discussion from the last DSAC meeting about lowering the voting age was brought up again and there were some ideas as to why it would be helpful and some as to why it might not. The guest speaker, the District Director of Indigenous Education, shared the results of the Student Equity Survey. The District Director of Native Education noted that he would need some volunteers for the upcoming meeting on November 23rd.
Volunteers for the next Advisory Committee meeting as well as a Youth Action Day leadership team have been selected, and two students will also be needed for a Climate Action Committee.
DRAFT
COWICHAN VALLEY DISTRICT PAC
Draft Minutes October 20, 2022, 7pm via in person & Zoom
Introductions & Acknowledgement In Attendance
Adopt Agenda
- Chair
- SD Admin - Superintendent Robyn Gray
- Treasurer
- PIE Committee
- Indigenous Committee IDPAC
- Old Business
- Indigenous Day of Learning: From Grief to Healing
- New School Board of Trustees
- New Business
- BCCPAC hosted DPAC Summit on Nov 18-19
- PAC’s Constitution & Bylaws
- November’s DPAC meeting change of date?
- Adjournment at 8:47pm
DPAC would like to congratulate you all and we look forward to continuing to collaborate and work with our educational partner. This is a great chance to hear from key members of our MoE&C as well as network with other DPACs across the province. With at least 2 of the DPAC Executives planning to attend the BCCPAC Host DPAC Summit, they will need to travel the night of our regular DPAC meeting.
Discussion took place and the consensus was that we change our meeting to Monday, November 14th at 7:00 pm and plan to be a hybrid.
Draft Minutes November 14, 2022, 7pm via in person & Zoom
- Board of Education - tabled due to new Board being elected in 4.4 Treasurer
- Variety BC update: (this was discussed in the PIE report) 5.2 Inauguration of New School Board Trustees
- Parent Education
- BCCPAC Committee Volunteers
- Truth and Reconciliation (Standing Item)
Discussion on how racism escalates as children get older, so we should focus on the early years to create ambassadors for the future. The winners of the logo contest that took place last spring were both international students and were never contacted. Administrators from across the district met recently, as part of their ongoing series, to look at their Frameworks for Enhancing Student Learning (FESLs).
The 49th Parallel is cooking the turkeys for lunch, which will be their first since COVID. She was overjoyed with the community support for the Variety BC Trail Bikes, which exceeded their goal and raised more than $10,000. They are awaiting confirmation that the money raised will be doubled, allowing the purchase of two bicycles for the district.
These bikes will be placed at the district level and loaned to schools for use by students with mobility issues or who are wheelchair-bound to participate with their classmates in a range of activities. Assessments of students K-9 are on the go using the new learning assessment tool created by our teachers. The non-instructional day on November 25 features the keynote presentation "The Only Person You Can Change Is Yourself" by Occupational Therapist Kim Barthel in the morning.
Work on the new CSS is progressing, with steel going up in Zone 1, the retail areas, above which there will be two levels of learning communities. Excerpt – Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Action Plan Charlie Coleman, District Director of Indigenous Education. BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) action plan included 89 actions from all ministries.
From these actions, 22 were issued for which the Board or members of the District could take direct or indirect action.
Provincial Council – Highlights 2022-23 BCSTA Academy, December 2022
BCSTA Budget 2023-24
Constitution & Bylaw Change
8.1 – Motion to advocate for Inflationary increases from Ministry of Education
There were no late motions