The past year was a time of upheaval at School District 43 but the new board chair and newly appointed superintendent said this month the year ahead should be one of stability and a re-focusing on learning innovations.
Judy Shirra, a Port Coquitlam trustee who was acclaimed as board chair in December, said the district ended the last school year with a balanced budget and except for finding a way to cover $800,000 in post-strike salaries for teachers not covered by the province, finances are looking relatively stable.
"We're back to 2012 staff levels," Shirra said, after a spike in 2013 that caused a deficit and resulted in budget cutting for two consecutive years, including $13.4 million from this year's budget.
Schools are also recovering from a lengthy teachers' strike that ended the previous school year early and delayed the start of the current school year by 13 days. Parents who registered for the $40-a-day temporary education support payment should have received their cheques by now.
Patricia Gartland, who takes over from retiring superintendent Tom Grant on Jan. 1, said the district and the newly elected board of education will be looking at ways to implement a new learning agenda that will focus more on choices and personalized education for students.
"The freedom [a balanced budget] gives us allows us to move forward," Gartland said.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
April: Trustees listen to concerns of parents, teachers and support workers about the impact of budget cuts on School District 43 during one of a series of budget meetings held in April.
May: Teachers wore numbers indicating their position in the layoff recall process after more than 600 teachers were laid off to balance the budget this spring.
June: Students joined teachers on the picket line during a series of rotating strikes before a full walk/out lockout took place that ended the school year early.
September: Teachers spent the first nearly three weeks of the school in September on the picket line. The strike was eventually settled and students went back to class on Sept. 22, with BC Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker stating that the deal wasn't perfect but did provide gains for teachers, including protecting their charter rights and increasing support for students.
November: A backlash against district financial woes may have contributed to the election defeats of four incumbent trustees, and together with two retirements, resulted in six of nine trustees new to the board of education. The newly elected trustees are: Kerri Palmer Isaak in Anmore/Belcarra; Carol Cahoon and Barb Hobson in Coquitlam; Lisa Park in Port Moody; and Michael Thomas in Port Coquitlam. The SD43 board of education next meets on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
