The school district’s operating budget reductions are the child of the Ministry of Education’s initiative to download costs to school boards.
How is the board responding to the ministry’s cost downloading initiatives? The president of the Vernon Teachers’ Association is quoted on radio as saying that the trustees appeared to be very silent on this matter.
The trustees are, indeed, not publicly tearing out their hair, gnashing their teeth or engaging in loud vocal tantrums to demonstrate their frustration. Histrionics rarely, if ever, generate positive results. Instead, we attempt to focus on the source of our funding problems, which in this case, centers on the recent funding actions and decisions of the Ministry of Education, the Treasury Board and the province.
Downloading operating costs to school districts is not entirely a new or recent concept but it is now reaching unmanageable proportions.. The board has sent several letters to the minister of education, including one co-signed by both the Vernon Teachers’ Association and CUPE presidents, expressing our joint concerns. At the B. C. School Trustees Association’s recent AGM, the board endorsed several strongly worded motions relating to the ministry’s cost downloading.
They are motions that had the complete support of all the province’s 60 school boards. In addition at that AGM, the Bboard arranged a meeting with Education Minister Peter Fassbender and directly and personally reviewed a number of issues with him that were of major concerns to our board. Finally, on May 2 , members of the board met with MLA Eric Foster and for the better part of one hour, addressed the topic of cost downloading and its negative consequences.
The school district has a very loyal, dedicated and skilled workforce and when personnel reductions must be made, it is, without question, the most agonizing decision that a trustee must make.
As a board, we are constantly attempting to deal directly with issues and concerns as they arise in what we believe to be the most effective manner possible. We will likely continue to leave the histrionics to those who embrace that form of response to issues.
Bill Turanski, board chairperson
Vernon School District
