Parent-Teacher Group Offers SD57 Alternative To Closures

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 08:12 AM

Prince George, B.C. - A group of parents, teachers, and community members has submitted what it calls a 'supplemental' report to School District 57, outlining more than $9-million dollars in cuts that would not involve any school closures.

The district launched a 60-day consultation period at the end of January, following the school board's announcement that 14 schools were being considered for closure to deal with an anticipated budget shortfall of $7-million dollars.

Glen Thielmann, a teacher at DP Todd, is one of 31 people to sign his name to a 15-page document submitted to the school board last Friday. "Many have worked in the system for years and were able to quickly identify areas that could be cut with minimal impact on student learning."

"Many other ideas came up through two weeks of research and inquiry," says Thielmann. "We set aside the ideas that were reactive, unrealistic, or required information we could not access. We reviewed and edited the remaining ideas and put them together in the supplemental report. We are now waiting to see if they can be of use to the school board."

The group's report outlines potential savings of of slightly more than $9-million dollars in five categories:

1. Leadership Structures - with the largest suggestion of a $2.1-million dollar savings through an 'Expressed-Need' HR Policy. The group is proposing that the district restricts the placement of administrators between school level assignments at the Central Administration Office.

2. Facilities - selling the CAO property, at the corner of Ferry Avenue and Highway 16-West could generate $1.9-million dollars.

3. Technology - adjusting the district's approach to BCeSIS -- the data system used to record student data -- would produce an estimated savings of $337-thousand dollars. While re-visiting administrator laptop grants could produce another $60-thousand dollars.

4. Pro-D and Travel - there's a $684-thousand dollar proposal for reducing travel costs and another 161-thousand dollars in proposed catering cost savings

5. Efficiencies - this area has laid out $341-thousand dollars in savings for supplies, $87-thousand dollars that could come from reducing the use of student planners, and it's suggested almost $100-thousand dollars could be re-couped in copying and printing charges.

Thielmann says, "We had hoped the school board would do this kind of work before putting schools up for closure, but perhaps the timeline was too tight this year given the mandatory consultation period for school closures."

But, he says, "There are still a few weeks for trustees and the District (Sustainability) Committee (the group that came up with the report outlining the school closures) to weigh their options and sketch out a Plan B."

The school board is in the process of holding public consultation meetings at the schools slated for closure. Decisions will be made at a meeting March 20th.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 08:12 AM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: PaysHisOwnWay on February 17 2010 9:14 AM

That only works out to $5,770,000 from what I can see. That is also a big "IF" they can sell the corner lot in a speedy fashion.

Sounds like the teachers trying to use some of that "new math" to try and save their jobs.

Posted by: verballabel on February 17 2010 9:17 AM

At least they are trying. Prince George and communities around us cannot afford to lose another 100+ jobs. Good work you guys!

We need to support this group and what they are trying to accomplish.

Posted by: noisy on February 17 2010 9:48 AM

The full report apparently also has several options for staffing downsizing.

I agree, at least they're trying, and they are working on positive options rather than simply "woe is us, save our school" and expecting everyone else to figure out how.

Posted by: mythoughts on February 17 2010 10:03 AM

I agree, we should give them our support. Anything that will stop the closures of the schools. Good work and good luck to the group.

Posted by: Retired on February 17 2010 10:30 AM

Great plan. We still have some people who can see the problems and how to solve them.
Cheers

Posted by: MoneKate on February 17 2010 10:40 AM

The real issue is there are no children to attend these schools. Keeping them open under this plan is good for a year. Think of the long term, we are not having children like our parents did. The school board has to think responsible and make the tough desisions. It's not their problem that parents are too busy to have kids, people are married to the same sex, or Prince George is a dying community.

Posted by: blue_sky_blue on February 17 2010 10:42 AM

If there aren't enough students in the rural schools, I think they should combine classes, i.e. K-2, 3-5, 6-7. Three teachers. Close up the empty classes and turn off heat to them to save on costs. Of course, it would require changes to the way the teachers teach, but it would probably be worth it to save the schools. Similar to the idea another commenter had weeks ago regarding returning to the one-classroom schools of yesteryear.

As for the restructuring in town, it's probably a good idea. We can't support French immersion all over the city if there's not enough demand. If they want special education, then they will have to drive their kids.

Also, it seems like the group mentioned above has some good ideas that should be implemented as well.

Posted by: noisy on February 17 2010 11:46 AM

blue_sky, all the immersion programs are full, with waitlists. There's a huge demand for neighbourhood immersion programs. Taking the immersion programs out of the schools will leave 3 empty neighbourhood schools, that will be next on the chopping block. Guaranteed.

And many already do drive their kids. It's not a reach to expect people to drive a little further. What IS a reach is to stick them in an inappropriately equipped school on one side of town that makes it a lot harder for anyone in the Hart to access.

There is a real problem with declining enrollment, however that isn't the problem for all of the schools affected.

Posted by: CabinFeverGirl on February 17 2010 12:17 PM

Heather Park was a bad choice. It should never have been built! We all on the North side of town are suffering and will suffer from this bad decision and waste of tax moneys.
Heather Park as a middle school was a big mistake in the first place .Combined with the real issues of school attendance: is when Heather Park was built they removed the grade 6's and 7's from all the elementary schools whether the school was over full or not. Several of these schools were not having overcrowding issues...Thought (1).Close Heather Park. Put all the students back into their elementary catchment school, grade 8's to Kelly Road and then! reconfigure as needed.
The road is just as long from the Rural Schools to the city as it is from the Urban schools to the country.
other possibility
Re open Heather Park as the high school for the area.( Academic programs) With the current Kelly road school site being used as high school/tech centre for the area. High School programs can be enhanced by external partners with in this facility. They have wonderful auto shop ,drama and fine arts, gyms, woodworking, culinary etc areas that can be expanded. Add the implementation of new tech programs towards College credits. Short distance for students to go between buildings.
Elementary schools and their children need to stay in their communities or neighbourhoods for many reasons to get the best jump start into their educational years.
Thought (2)... Though I personally believe that EVERY school should have an aboriginal choice class or classes based on choice of students, if there is an Aboriginal Choice Elementary school, then there needs to be a secondary Aboriginal choice school. Add these classes to Kelly Road.
I have read the report from the group stated in this article. IT IS EXCELLANT!
I fully support its ideas. There are so many good Ideas being presented at these public consultation meetings. BUT I do not feel that the board of trustees are really listening. They have asked us all for ideas and they seem to be brushing the ideas off. The easiest quickest way it seems to balance the budget is to close schools. All SD Trustees in the Province need to group together . Stand up alongside Quesnel and Williams Lake and say" Say no to schools closures!"

Posted by: CabinFeverGirl on February 17 2010 12:18 PM

Posted by: ski50 on February 17 2010 12:46 PM

Selling the CAO property is only good for this year. Where does that money come from next year? They're short 7 million a year. It's interesting to note that seniors get significant tax advantages because of the theory they built this country which is untrue. Chinese immigrants built this country. The current group of seniors came through the 50's and 60's and collect pensions that exceed their contributions. Many of them are still saving money.

Maybe it's time we look at a redistribution of wealth away from the growing grey population and redirect it to services for those who are having children. I don't have kids btw and I'm getting close to pension time so I have no self interest here. But the harder we make it for families, the fewer we'll have, and the fewer kids to help us in our old age. Unless of course you want to open the floodgates to developing world immigration.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 17 2010 1:35 PM

Are the number of school board trustees/employees/teachers/janitors being lessened by the same amount of fewer pupils? If not, why not? One would think that fewer pupils would mean less paperwork to shuffle too.

Posted by: Dirtyrottenresearcher on February 17 2010 2:56 PM

The plan (I was sent a copy) is well-thought out in terms of the numbers. The one major issue that it does not directly deal with is the displacement of students caused by the introduction of all day kindergarten that will start in some schools this fall and the rest in the next year. That's the issue driving a lot of the problems with space and class size.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 17 2010 6:50 PM

Do we still need the students to have three months off during the summer? Seems "the harvest" isn't that important and hands on as it once was. Eliminate school boards and summer holidays. Focus on scholastic endeavors and physical education. As many hours a week as possible. No vehicles parked within three blocks of the school so the little chubbos have to walk at least that far to get mom to give them a ride home. Seems I'm a bit jaded over this. Grrrr!

Posted by: noisy on February 17 2010 6:57 PM

Talk to the unions, Harbinger. Think the teacher's unions would give up their nice chunk of time off?

Haha, and then think of the schools we'd have to close to come up with the $$ to pay their overtime.

Nice, thought, though. Year-round school would do wonders for student performance.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 17 2010 7:35 PM

It seems unions aren't getting good press lately. I belonged to a union once. My contract stated I has "job security". But I still had to pay into U.I. When you get laid off, fired, let go, phased out, quit, downsized and canned, who's yer friend? Not the unions. The government is there with their pogey and welfare. Not the union. They got rid of the school boards in Ontario and the sky didn't fall. People do not like change. And that's a fact, Jack!

Posted by: billposer on February 17 2010 8:11 PM

Is the report available on-line anywhere?

Posted by: mikmak on February 17 2010 8:42 PM

um, harbringer, 3 months off during the summer? exaggerating that by a little bit?

Posted by: My3Centsworth on February 17 2010 8:45 PM

I don't seem to recall there being three months off during the summer. July and August; that's two months isn't it? No school boards in Ontario? I just checked and there seems to be quite a few. If you mean that there's no teacher union, Ontario has a very large union.

Posted by: Eagleone on February 18 2010 5:00 AM

Its about throwing the education system off balance so that they can be told what and how to teach more easily in the future IMO. It has nothing to do with student shortages so much as it has to do with social engineering behind the guise of student shortages.

I support any plan that keeps community schools open even if at reduced staff.

Posted by: mythoughts on February 18 2010 6:42 AM

I agree Eagleone, keep the community schools open and close more city schools if they have to close any schools. I don't think those children should have to spend hours each day on a bus. Whether the parents choose to live out there or not is irrelevant. This is about the children, not the parents.

Posted by: Vdesign on February 18 2010 7:33 AM

Wow, if we make these suggested cuts, and close the schools, we should actually make a profit, then the schools, would not have to send notes home with the kids every week looking for money for one thing or another.

It is disgraceful that there is so much taxpayer money being wasted and that only when their jobs are in risk, do they mention that they are spending millions a year more than they need.

I dare say any company that had half full factories, and extra fat to trim from its budget would have done it years ago.

Those in the private sector are did get raises and bonuses last year, and doubt this year will be any better, companies have to make up for the money they did not make last year.

Posted by: fenmore on February 19 2010 7:02 PM

Okay, do whatever you can first to cut away the fat in the top before letting go of schools in the middle of neighborhoods. Would anyone even notice if they cut away the fat off the top? I doubt it. They should listen to parents. If parents wanted megaschools they would ask for them. Parents pick schools for a reason don't mess with them and find some other way to trim the fat. Is PG going to be a hick town down the road? Close some more schools and you can pretty much guarentee it.