Frustrations over tech issues continue to dominate discussion at the local school district.
Mount Arrowsmith Teachers’ Association president Norberta Heinrichs told School District 69 (Qualicum) trustees Tuesday night that teachers are “losing faith” in the current technology system in the district, which has seen an overhaul instigated by both local authorities and the provincial government.
“Any lack of trust in the system is very difficult to un-do,” said Heinrichs.
Teachers are having a difficult time accessing tools — even basic Internet connectivity and student records — through the district’s computer system. The problems have lingered since the start of the school year in September.
Heinrichs said Tuesday night it’s “unfair and unreasonable” for teachers to continue to wait for a fix. She asked the board of trustees to strike a committee that will “ask the hard questions and share the findings.”
Assistant Superintendent Gillian Wilson said the district’s tech changes may have been too aggressive, but she pointed back at teachers, saying not all issues on district computers can be blamed on the technology changes.
“We acknowledge we took on too much work (making changes) in the summer,” said Wilson. “They are actually sometimes user issues, not technology issues.”
Wilson also said district staff will be working through the Christmas break on these tech issues.
• Like cities, towns and regional districts, the school district must provide an annual Statement of Financial Information that includes a list of people employed in the district who make more than $75,000/year.
The list includes everyone who received any kind of remuneration of more than $75,000, which is chiefly comprised of salary but also includes things like retirement or vacation pay-outs.
In the year that ended June 30, 2015, there were 122 district employees (including teachers and administrators) who received more than $75,000 in remuneration and 24 of them received more than $100,000.
