Welwood encourages boards to participate in spec. ed review

Handbook to help school boards launch public consultation

Please distribute to trustees, superintendent and the secretary-treasurer. For more information contact
at 1.780.451.7122

Government’s Public Accounts Committee puts school boards under microscope
As reported in Mark Lisac’s Oct. 10 Insight into Government, the legislature's Public Accounts Committee – which includes representatives of all parties – expanded its scope of inquiry to hear from the following school boards: Edmonton Public, Calgary Catholic and Livingstone Range. Former Calgary Board of Education chair and now MLA Teresa Woo-Paw (PC-Calgary-Mackay) said the Edmonton school board didn’t show effective measurements of progress in areas like helping students at risk: “What gets measured gets done… I’m not feeling we’ve been very effective in holding anyone accountable.”  The MLAs also questioned the costs associated with offering programs of choice.

The transcript of the three boards’ appearances before the Public Accounts Committee make for fascinating reading and give insight into what MLAs are wondering about when it comes to how school boards manage their tax dollars.

Read them here:
Edmonton Public/Calgary Catholic
Livingstone Range School Division

Government’s review of special education gets underway
President Heather Welwood, supported by consultant Steve Cymbol, is representing the ASBA on the stakeholder working group providing advice to the committee running the department of education’s special education review. See Alberta Education’s website after Oct. 24 for information about the review including consultation dates. In the interim, Welwood has e-mailed the consultation guide and a tentative schedule of hearing dates to school board chairs. 

As a member of the stakeholder working group, Welwood will work with the steering committee and Alberta Education staff to:

1. engage in the consultation process

2. review consulation feedback

3. participate in the development of recommendations for the Minister of Education for a special education framework and implementation plan
   

Other members of the stakeholder working group are:  Alberta Disabilities Forum; Alberta Medical Association; Alberta School Councils Association; Alberta Teachers’ Association; Association of Alberta Deans of Education; Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools; Association of Independent Schools and Colleges of Alberta; Association of School Business Officials of Alberta; College of Alberta School Superintendents; Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations; Fédération conseil scolaire francophone de l’Alberta; Fédération des parents francophones de l’Alberta; Health Sciences Association of Alberta; Metis Nation of Alberta Association and Provincial Coordinators of Alberta Post-Secondary Educational Assistant Programs.

Boards asked to consult with
local communities
A handbook to guide school boards’ local efforts to consult with their communities about public involvement in public education was e-mailed to board chairs and superintendents last week. In the run up to a summit scheduled for March 13 and 14, the ASBA is encouraging school boards to talk with their local communities about the following questions: Are your publics happy with the level of involvement they have? What do your publics know about your school board and the school system you govern? What would they like to know? What barriers exist that prevent them from providing input or being better informed?  This initiative, which will culminate with a Summit on Public Involvement set for March 13 and 14, supports ASBA strategic plan priority D2: Support is made available to school boards in relation to efforts to increase public engagement in education.

Further to this effort several workshops at the November Fall General Meeting will focus on public engagement:

Town hall meetings that work for school boards – success stories from the field

Tips and Tools for planning a successful public engagement event

How to run an effective focus group

What's new @www.asba.ab.ca?
See the ASBA website for:
Highlights Oct. 9/10 ASBA Board of Directors meeting

Education in the news
See the ASBA website for media stories about education.  In this week's headlines:

Catholic education celebrates 100 years
Student's family awaits school bus safety review
Medicine Hat Catholics reject cancer shot
Independent Schools must have voice in special ed review
Alberta plays catch-up as HPV backlash grows