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We had 13 issues and 17 questions in total. 8 were all we had time for. I did not take notes of the answers because the answers were all very "ministry predictable," the sort of stuff you can read online. Although Minister Abbott can be very personable with a dry sense of humor, but he can also give very long answers that sometimes turn into elevator music in my mind. Our superintendent can also do that. Quite a few education types do that, must be their teacher background!
Here are all the questions I had prepared, although I only had time for Topic 1 2nd issue and Topic 3 2nd issue.
Topic 1. Apprenticeships funding, work placements roadblocks, program stability
Note: thanks to SD57 career programs coordinators (B. Northrup, D. Borden, A. Saar) for their contributions from the meeting Apr. 12th, 2012. The government has often highlighted the need for more skilled trades workers and I was hoping to address a few roadblocks in our district that perhaps our minister could help us with.
1st issue: Our district aids in placing students with employers for work experience. Part of the apprenticeship process is that students advance through their tickets to a higher pay category. This is good for the student but creates a disincentive for the employer. If the government could help subsidize this wage difference then more students would be hired.
Questions: Can the provincial government provide wage subsidies to encourage employers to take on on apprentices? Programs like this existed in the past, perhaps they can be revived?
2nd issue: The CTC is a top-ranked dual credit trades program in our province, a partnership between local high schools and the College of New Caledonia. It provides an excellent training program for students who are bright but often lack engagement in high school. The CTC has a great track record of keeping students in school and transitioning them to employment after graduation. The program’s status is threatened, however, due to a funding shortage related to the difference between secondary and post-secondary schedules. Our high school students have 10 weeks in session at CTC after each College semester is finished. In the past, CNC covered the cost of instructors for this unfunded learning time, but with the College facing cutbacks, they will no longer subsidize these 10 weeks. Without funding for these 10 weeks each semester, the program faces reduced hours and students with 10 weeks to fill. We risk students leaving the program and possibly leaving school before getting their Dogwoods.
Question: Can the government provide transition funding so that our Career Technical Centre can maintain its high operation standards, bridge the scheduling conflict, and keep kids in school for full semesters?
3rd issue: Our apprenticeship programs have been affected by the government’s new regulations that all apprenticeship employers must be certified. Our numbers are at least half of what they have been in the past due to this. It is hard living in the north and finding those employers, especially in our rural centres like Mackenzie and McBride, where we have none that meet the criteria. This problem affects all of our apprenticeship programs from the College to the individual schools. Our students need work experiences to learn if they want to pursue a specific career. Statistically, students who complete work programs are more likely to continue on in that field and complete additional related post-secondary education.
Questions: Can the Ministry advocate permission for placement opportunities in situations where no certified employers are present, especially in rural areas? Can the Ministry take another look at its existing policy about certification?
Topic 2. Funding formula and rural schools
Issue: Per-block funding creates some inequities in our district, for example with inner city schools and rural schools. It does not take into consideration some fixed costs for schools or recognize that many programs need to remain consistent and funded through boom and bust cycles in resource-based communities. While we are able to shift some resources to assist inner city schools, our rural schools are still struggling to offer full programs to smaller groups of students. Our Distance Education system is not at the place where it can pick up the slack, so we can’t count on “21st Century Learning” to solve these problems in the short term. Additionally, per-block funding locks us into the 1 teacher - 30 student model that does not always provide the flexibility for creative learning environments such as those suggested by the BCED plan.
Questions: What kind of feedback has the Ministry received about per-block funding issues and what does it plan to do with this feedback? What suggestions do you have for addressing inequities and program stability that are affected by per-block funding?
Topic 3. BCED plan
Issue #1: We've heard quite a bit this year about how the teacher contract should evolve so it can respond to changes in the education system, but we've heard less about how other stakeholders need to respond.
Questions: What messages do you have for boards, administration, parents, and students about what they can do differently?
Issue #2: Some of our teachers have been working at what you would call 21st Century Learning for many years but feel their efforts are not recognized or supported by school and district administration. They speak of a slow deterioration in support for teacher-initiated change, a shut-out of teachers from technology decisions, leadership and committee work, and a rejection of their mobile learning and blended learning pilot projects. This dysfunctional relationship goes back a few years. It really came to the fore in 2010 during school closures and cutbacks when most committees ceased and was made worse by the labour dispute this year. Ideally we can start to repair some bridges and create the trust necessary for teachers to work alongside administration and the board, but we have a long way to go.
Questions: What message would you give to teachers who feel left out of local and provincial processes and worry that the BCED plan will arrive as another top-down program from the Ministry? How can we ensure that we have leadership competencies in place that would help our whole system be more accountable for change?
