Dear Editor:
Re: Trustee wants more info available sooner, The Record, April 11.
Accountability, transparency and communication difficulties have plagued the school district for years, and the decision to delay the release of a full agenda package three years ago worsened the situation. Given this, if the motion to post its entire school board agenda package on the Friday before board meetings, as well as the motion to introduce a question period at the end of every open board meeting, is passed, this will be a tremendous step in the right direction.
School board meeting agendas can be quite dense, and, with attachments - including budgets, minutes, motions and reports - the entire package can be 60 pages or more. Posting this the day before a meeting simply does not allow time to properly digest this daunting task, and quite often, while a person may want to ask a question during board meetings to clarify something that was perhaps overlooked in a Herculean attempt to wade through the agenda package, this is not allowed.
It used to be that our school district would post these packages on its website on the Friday. This was done so the public had the opportunity to review background information in order to be informed on what specific issues were scheduled for discussion and action on the following Tuesday.
Delaying the release of a full agenda package to Monday, the day before board meetings, does not give enough time to properly review information, and with limited opportunity to ask questions before and during a school board meeting, the public's ability to prepare and participate in the public process is notably compromised.
In fact, this is why the New Westminster district parent advisory council (DPAC) submitted a resolution to its parent organization, the British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC), to reaffirm the following resolution it made in 2007:
Question period for public school board meetings: That BCCPAC request the minister of education to propose an amendment to the School Act making it mandatory for school boards to have a question period during regularly scheduled public board meetings and to have those questions and responses recorded in school board minutes.
If successful in carrying the reaffirmation of this resolution at this year's annual general meeting, BCCPAC will once again present this to the Ministry of Education and the British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSCTA) for consideration. If the School Act is amended this round, instead of it just being perhaps a recommendation, all districts will have a mandatory question period during public board meetings.
Volunteer organizations such as DPAC are made up of parent representatives from public schools in each district. DPAC is defined in the School Act as an advisory and advocacy council and that it may make recommendations to the school board through the school board's officials or by representation, and provide the school board with information to assist in decision making. However, in order to effectively advise and advocate to the board, we need tools such as agenda packages, question periods and particularly, because the board has so many poorly attended meetings each month, for the board to follow through on previous motions made to record open board meetings and upload these audio files on the district website in order to support those parents and community members unable to attend meetings.
Following is an excerpt of one of the letters DPAC has sent to the board.
January 31, 2012
New Westminster DPAC would like to request a meeting in the very near future to discuss solutions to concerns raised and move forward together to better engage and begin to improve the relationships within the district.
Suggested agenda items for discussion: 1) Creation of a district policy committee: Many of the challenges and concerns raised by parents within SD 40 relate to current processes, policies and practices. Current practices do not allow for feedback in an informal and collaborative setting.
2) Several years ago the board passed a motion to record meetings and to have them made available on the website. This motion should be addressed and implemented by district staff and policy committee to support those parents and community members unable to attend meetings due to family commitments.
3) Instruct committee to consider the creation of policy to include a question period at the end of board meetings. This would support better relationships, provide information and concerns in a timely fashion and model transparency.
While the board has not formally answered or addressed this letter, I am encouraged that the motions to post its entire school board agenda package on the Friday before board meetings, as well as the motion to introduce a question period will be heard at the next open board meeting, April 24.
The New Westminster DPAC has, in total, submitted five resolutions to BCCPAC to be discussed at the May 25, annual general meeting (AGM):
1. Return targeted funding
2. Question period for public school board meetings (reaffirmation)
3. Reporting on student suspensions and expulsions
4. Universal district complaint process
5. Disqualification of board employees
Wendy Harris, district parent advisory council chair
