Blog - Page 26 of 35 - British Columbia School Trustees Association

Post-Election Thoughts from BCSTA President Gordon Swan

With the election behind us, it is now time to shift focus back toward the work we have been elected to do. Your board of directors returns in full, and we look forward to continuing our work as your advocates and representatives to government, our partner organizations and the public while providing you with the support, learning opportunities and tools you require to maximize your potential as both individuals and boards of education.

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National Fiscal Sustainability Report Highlights Provincial Concerns

The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) recently released their Fiscal Sustainability Report for 2018 at the end of September. This report outlines the PBO’s current “assessment of the sustainability of government finances over the long term for the federal government, subnational governments and public pension plans.”

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Matt Carruthers, BC’s SOGI Education Lead, on Progress and the Future

The 2017-2018 school year has seen learning communities engage in SOGI-inclusive education like never before. In just its second year, the BC SOGI Educator Network now consists of 54 out of 60 school districts and continues to grow. While many educators have been engaged in SOGI work for years, the Network has centralized resources, fostered regular collaboration and expedited professional growth.

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Elected School Boards are Vital to English-Speaking Quebecers

English public education has a long and storied history in Quebec. Today the system has roughly 100,000 students in schools located throughout the province. We strongly believe that quality English public education essential to our future, and that maintaining control and management of that education by means of elected school boards is vital to the future of English-speaking Quebec.

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Advocacy: BCSTA’s Supplemental Written Submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance

In follow-up to BCSTA President Gordon Swan’s oral report to the Select Standing Committee on Finance, BCSTA submitted the following supplemental written submission to the committee on October 10, 2018.

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Advocacy: President Swan’s Presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Finance

Please note that this year’s presentations were held to five minutes. BCSTA will be following up with an additional written submission containing more details.

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Was it an Unadvertised Meeting?

A few years ago, a British Columbia Ombudsperson’s report expressed concerns about a somewhat common practice of municipal councils and boards.

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Getting to Know BC’s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation

Earlier this year, former British Columbia ombudsperson Howard Kushner was appointed as the new commissioner for teacher regulation.

Howard Kushner’s bio, available on bcteacherregulation.ca, provides us with the following regarding his background and qualifications:

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Trustee Academy Preview

Staff at the BC School Trustees Association have been keeping busy with only 62 days to go before the upcoming BCSTA Academy, taking place November 29 – December 1, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver. Taking place in the final week of November, both newly elected and seasoned trustees will find plenty of topics of interest on hand, all of which has been curated under the banner of “building a new board: elected, engaged and empowered.”

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#ProudToBeASchoolTrustee

As a way to increase the profile of school trustees as the election approaches, BCSTA launched the #ProudToBeASchoolTrustee social media campaign at our 2018 AGM. Members have been encouraged to share messages on social media about why they are #ProudToBeASchoolTrustee, including why they decided to run as a trustee, the work they are most proud to be involved in and the impact of their work in their communities.

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Serving and Supporting BC’s Boards of Education