Pressure to fundraise for school technology and emergency kits has prompted School District 43’s District Parent Advisory Council to call for clearer guidelines on how such equipment should be funded.
Downloading of costs from government to parents has the potential to create have and have-not schools, DPAC president Craig Woods told SD43 trustees, but officials at the board of education office could relieve some of the pressure by doing a better job explaining what parents should and shouldn’t have to fund.
“Some parent advisory groups can raise $10,000 in an evening and there are other schools where they didn’t raise $10,000 in a year,” said Woods, who noted parents are being asked to pay for items such as math work books, emergency kits and expensive computer hardware.
Part of the problem is that gaming grants can no longer go to computer equipment for schools, so parents have to raise the money via other means.
Woods has been advising PACs to determine their own needs, create a budget and then see if it’s feasible before launching a fundraising campaign.
“Take it easy is what I’m trying to say. Sit down in the summer and make a plan not about dollars but [about] what you’d like to accomplish in a year… and put price tags on it to see if it’s reasonable.”
But he would also like the district to have an annual plan and lay out for schools what role PACs are expected to play. In some cases, parents shouldn’t be responsible for costs, such as emergency shelters and kits.
“I want stronger, more transparent communication and proactive working together,” Woods said, noting that fundraising has become a “big stressor” for parents.
The call for a clear and consistent plan for technology in schools, including how to pay for it, and improved communication to parents was made to trustees Tuesday as the board sought input into its 2017/’18 budget.
EA NUMBERS A CONCERN
For parents, the budget process is an opportunity to get a good look at how the district spends its money and Woods said he is impressed with how SD43 has stabilized its finances since incurring a huge a deficit a few years ago.
He acknowledged that the $16.9-million Classroom Enhancement Fund — one result of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling dictating a return to class sizes that were stripped from B.C. teachers’ contract in 2002 by the Gordon Campbell BC Liberal government — to address collective agreement issues on class size and composition is helping to boost staffing and relieve pressure facing schools with ongoing budget restraint.
But he noted the the district is still below provincial average in some areas, such as educational assistance for special needs. According to SD43 numbers, local schools have 73.3 students per EA (educational assistant), compared to the provincial average of 52.07 students per EA.
“The district has a smart plan to be able to retrain and recruit EAs, that’s one area where they’re not at provincial averages,” he said.
