Category: Chair’s Update

The British Columbia School Trustee Association (BCSTA) will be hosting their 2022 Annual General Meeting next month, and as a way to show the works of School Trustees throughout the Province, I thought I would share some of the motions coming to the table. I believe it is essential to show that districts throughout the province share many of the same values as we do

Collaboration and Equity is on our focus this month, a perfect fit for the month that celebrates International Women’s Day. This years’ theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias.
Bias is located in our culture and our identity. Bias reveals itself in our communities and organizations. It reveals itself when we look around to see who is beside us, who we report to, who we learn from, and who is welcome. Bias is both conscious and unconscious.

Becoming a trustee was a difficult choice for me. At the time, I did not know what a trustee was, let alone how to do it. It had some abstract ideas around it, things like keeping education public, or passing a budget and hiring a superintendent.

Inclusion is the value we focus on for February. What do you understand when you hear this word? The understanding you hold is going to influence and impact your perception of how inclusion ought to look. It will also likely help you understand how you belong or experience exclusion. What do you elect to belong to? What do you belong to that is outside of your control? What do you feel excluded from? What do you elect to exclude yourself from? How much does choice impact how much value you place on inclusion?

The new year is a good time to reflect on what ethical decision-making means to the board of education from the perspective of governance. What ethical principles guide our decisions and how do we ensure we are aware of the impact on students, families and community?

January is a key month. It is the start of a new calendar year; however, it also moves us from reflecting on our vision, mission, and affirmation statements into our six value statements. A vision communicates our goals and inspires us. A mission defines our purpose. An affirmation communicates what we believe to be true. And our values communicate our philosophy about what we do and how we do it. Values help create our school district culture and we rely on them to inform key decisions.

What a year 2021 was for SD46! We spent the year setting a foundation for many years to come, even amidst adversity. We were able to:

The start of another school year has come and gone here in SD46. As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of all of the great work done by our staff, students and community to make the past three months as successful as they have been. We are proud of our vision – we are a community engaged in lifelong learning and educational excellence.

The month of December brings the end to the calendar year. It is a natural time for reflection and visioning. This December our board focuses on our work of our affirmation. What is an affirmation and its purpose for a school board you might inquire? Affirmation: a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.

In October board chairs met in Vancouver where a key focus of our work was discussing the importance of strategic planning in supporting student achievement. The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL) is intended to formalize the strategic planning that boards do to support equity in student achievement by requiring that all boards to have strategic plans and report outcomes annually. This meeting prompted a reflection on the importance and benefit of a mission statement as part of the process.