private vs public business

It has been interesting to sort out the role of a trustee during my first couple of months.  We have had plenty of meetings, and yet it still feels like we are playing catch up on the many issues that come up in a school district and the opportunities we have to learn.  One of the things I'm still trying to make sense of is the public versus private aspects of board business.  We have casual meetings, formal meetings, committee meetings, public meetings, in-camera meetings, meetings that include partner groups, etc.  They overlap, too, so that some are not confidential, some are strictly confidential, and some are technically confidential but I'm not sure why.  Thus we are often being cautioned as to what we should say (or when), and our "public education" business often seems like a big secret, when it is mostly about stuff that principals, teachers, parents, even students seem to already know about.  I said "interesting" because to me that is a blend of exciting and frustrating.  I'm learning but I'm also anxious to jump into the work that needs to be done.

My trustee platform was for more open conversations between trustees and administration and all associated stakeholder groups.  I realize that not everything in our school district needs to be public but a large portion of it is safe to be public and therefore fairly examined by as many people possible before implementation.  I think when all parties have chance to weight in, compare notes, offer suggestions, criticisms, solutions, then the final product is much stronger.  Trustees benefit from this, too, because their vote can be made more confident when due diligence has occurred.  I just don't think we have the time as trustees to do all the homework necessary to have this confidence unless the due diligence involves more public input and partner group collaboration.

I'm hoping our board can examine the issue of in-camera meetings more closely in the coming weeks.  We've had a few issues come and go that really deserved more attention and discussion, but we didn't have have the time for it.  Most of us work outside of trusteeship, and I'm not sure how I'd find more time than the 15-20 hours a week or so I seem to be putting into it.  It will probably slow down once our orientation sessions have wrapped up, but the best way to steal more time is to share the work with partner groups who have already indicated they are interested in being more a part of the conversations.  DPAC comes to mind as a proactive group that has offered help in the way of reports and sustainability suggestions.  If we give them a more open platform to be a complete "partner" we will reap the benefits.

Another reason I'd like to see our meetings become more open and less confidential is so that better research can be done.  Right now here is how one of our regular in-camera meetings works:
1. Get the agenda but can't share or ask questions in public about the topics.
2. Must guess about what might be good questions to ask at the meeting.
3. Spend two hours total hashing through the issues and items, which means a few minutes per item, which puts some pressure on what we can discuss.  If we throw a presentation or two in from district staff (which is often necessary), the time goes fast.
4. When we leave we are bound by confidentiality and we can't really discuss the items or gather further research or seek out opinions from people who may be affected.  I have to limit my research from what I can find online or what I can deduce from the brief section of the committee meeting.
5. When the partner groups leave they are bound by confidentiality so they can't really seek input from their folks.  Open discussion is verboten unless an item of interest appears on a public board meeting agenda with enough time to gather input.
6. The committee meeting minutes aren't public before the board meeting (or maybe ever?) so the public doesn't necessarily know what's coming up or how to prepare input.  They might guess that an issue is coming, or see some motions in the agenda, but they can't prepare expert work without knowing about specific motions, rationale, etc.
7. For me, the shakiest part is the actual public board meeting, so I have to do all the discussing that I hoped would happen beforehand in one go.  At this point, minds are mostly made up and I'm really left with making statements rather than actually engaging in a real discussion that might change the outcome.  Maybe I'll get better at this with time, but the point is, discussion, input, and openness up front means the board meeting can really be about the best decisions being made on the best evidence.

Here's our Bylaw 1 that deals with meetings:
http://www.sd57.bc.ca/fileadmin/cao.sd57.bc.ca/Policy_Manual/Policies/Bylaw_No._1.pdf

I have no idea how so many boards survived with the existing rules about committee meetings.  I know other districts have opened up their committee meetings, I hope to learn more about how and why.  I wish the "opening up" could have come before the 2010 sustainability process, there might have been more up front discussion and less of a need to make so many decisions all at once.  I used to wonder why the last board sat there at all those closure meetings taking punishment from the public without responding or making adjustments along the way (like they did in the Kamloops district).  I realize now they probably felt bound by their own rules and were locked in by the process they had started.  I hope I don't end up in a process like that, but if I do I hope we have the ability to go back and forth with our stakeholders at key open meetings, so that the creative solutions and encouragement to think big can come early from partner groups, in time to make a difference. I suppose it is possible to make quick decisions based on limited input, but my brain doesn't work that way.  I need things slowed down, many opinions and approaches, and time to process and work.  It's the same way I do pottery!

first appointments

I'd like to share my committee and school liaison appointments, and highlight some of the issues that are coming up for school trustees and the district.  Please note that the appointments are not yet official until they are announced at the Jan 24th, 2012 meeting.  I'm still trying to sort out the difference between "timed announcements" and material that should truly be confidential or "in-camera."  If it were up to me, almost all of our trustee business, with the exception of personnel issues and such, would be public and published in advanced.  In addition to the appointments, I think we should also be notifying the public that we have completed criminal record checks. Trustee candidate Shawn Peters was right in his campaign to encourage the board to pursue this.  Every other volunteer organization requires a criminal record check to be around children.  Perhaps this is something the Policy and Governance Committee will be able to rectify.

I am very happy with my appointments. I have a great mix of schools and am looking forward to learning from some strong teachers and administrators that I have great respect for.  I look forward to the committees I will be on.  There are some big issues & opportunities coming up and I hope I do them justice by asking the right questions.  Saying that, I do hope that those who voted me in, and those who will work with me during my appointments, will help me learn all I need to know to ask the right questions; I do not want to do this alone without the public's help.  Sadly I feel the timelines for some up-and-coming issues are pressing and Educations Services and Policy and Governance committee meetings have been cancelled for the month of January.  Some of my issues are plans for bussing, the discussion around reopening of MAC1 in Mackenzie, concerns with the Northern Learning Centre, and Public access and input at meetings.  Some of these will come up at the Trustee/Sr. Administration meeting on Jan 10th, 2012, although I'm not sure if these are on the agenda for our information or if we have some room to discuss and raise issues.  Feel free to email me or leave comments with your suggestions and feedback.

My appointments are as follows:

Committees

1.  Education Programs and Planning Committee

2.  Education Services Committee

3.  Environmental Sustainability Committee

Liaison

1.  District Parent Advisory Council

Schools

1.  Duchess Park

2.  Edgewood

3.  Harwin

4.  Spruceland

5.  Lac Des Bois

busy month

Talk about lifestyle change! In a couple of months I've gone from stay-at-home mom to having two demanding jobs. In addition to my new role as school trustee, I've also been hired on to Canada Post as a mail carrier. Both jobs require training, so I've been burning the candle at both ends for a while, hopefully it slows down soon. The hardest part was realizing I won't often get the chance to drop off and pick up my daughter from school, and spend most days with my son.  He'll be in kindergarten next year, so this transition came a just a bit earlier than expected. The trustee orientation has gone well. We spent last weekend at the BC School Trustees Association academy. There were 418 trustees elected province-wide, 175 of them were new. That was the most ever turnaround, and the conference the best attended they've had. We discussed 21st century learning, team-building, the Ministry's agenda, and innovation. I tried to ask as many questions as would be tolerated, both to the PG team and other delegates. I'm still left with questions about 21st century learning, as it is not clear what it will look like when implemented, and there seems to be blind faith that technology will solve many problems. I think it can create new problems, too, and would not like to lose the human connection we have between students and teachers. I was expecting more government agenda and general brainwashing, but it was actually quite fair and delegates were able to ask tough questions. I wish I would have heard more about teacher contract bargaining, this was not discussed at all.

Now What?

Now that the campaign and election are done it looks like there's lots to learn in the next few weeks. The inaugural meeting is coming up on Dec 6, and a series of orientation or training sessions here and also in Vancouver. I got an email from the board office asking what my top 5 things I wanted to learn about first were. We got to choose from a list of categories. Here's what I put (yes, I gave 10 not 5 things):

• district plan, leadership, technology
• what can/should I do on my own, what should be done only as a group
• school programs and long-term sustainability, is this where "green" initiatives fits?
• are 1701s the only extra funding cases?, equity for all vs. fairness for students generating funds
• the BCPSEA relationship, hiring philosophy for leadership
• trustee/school relationship, the kinds of questions that are worth asking
• purchasing as it overlaps with school and teacher innovation
• categories, is this where 1701s equity vs. fairness issues would come up?
• improving achievement, connection to rural schools (including technology), relationship to other school programs
• figuring out Robert's Rules

I'm also wondering what kinds of things I should use this blog for now that I am a trustee. If anyone has suggestions feel free to leave a comment. I really appreciate the help my husband Glen gave me in researching and editing the blog and campaign material, he really is an ubernerd when it comes to the school district's history and issues. Kind of a walking encyclopedia but with more facial hair. I also appreciate the input that other teachers and parents had on my campaign, there is so much passion and interest out there for making our schools work for the students. Thanks also to my kids for putting up with a big change to their nights. I've been working evening shifts at Costco for the past month, one more shift left and then I'm giving up the job to focus on being a trustee.

Final vote count

35 of 41 polls reporting !!!

With the results mostly in, it looks like I made it onto the board. The polls as of late last night show me at seven of seven, a real squeaker. I am honoured to be chosen for trustee. There were sixteen candidates running for seven seats, two of which had dropped out, so I really hope the seven that didn't make it are willing to stay active as advocates for public education and share their ideas with the new board. All of the dialogue leading up to the election focused on a more open school board office and more responsive board of trustees. This is what I ran for and this is what I will come back to as a focus. The issues I thought were important included teacher support, student support, communication, planning, rural education, technology, and real sustainability. Other issues will come up in the next three years and I hope to continue the commitment from all of the candidates for a more inclusive and transparent process for change. I'd especially like to thank the CORES rural school support group for encouraging excellent dialogue among the candidates, and for all of the teachers, parents, and family who asked good questions, offered support, and provided a student-centered perspective for my campaign. In the coming weeks, I look forward to learning the ropes and start working for some practical, creative actions in the next three years that will benefit our students and school communities.

Cool Playgrounds

A friend of mine (Brent Goerz) sent me these links today for sustainable, creative playgrounds and resources on playground philosophy and design... what amazing ideas and articles! Some of the design ideas are just cool to look at, but many of them would work in a winter city like ours. As Brent put it, "this is from an architect out of TO who uses these options to provide an alternative to plastic crap in schools."

Worth the visit:
http://www.earthartist.com/playground/KOLTS.pdf
http://naturalplaygrounds.com/news.php
http://www.bpfp.org/PlaygroundDesign/

Citizen Bio

Yikes! The PG Citizen 5 of the trustee candidate 500-word bios, including mine.  The other 9 were published but I guess there was a mix up on the others.  Most of them made it to the Citizen's website, though.  For those who are interested, here is what I sent to the Citizen:

I'm 41, a mother of two children, a girl in Grade 2 at Ecole College Heights and a boy in preschool. My most recent full-time work was as a computer mapper for an archaeological consultant.

I'm an active parent at my daughter's school, and I volunteer with the potter's guild. There are many educators and students in my extended family, and I have  a solid understanding of the issues facing our schools. I have pursued fairness and common sense policy in every job and situation I've encountered. I am willing to ask tough questions and challenge the ideas of others, including the government as it seeks to reform the education system. I dislike the use of buzzwords, and will speak plainly about issues in our school district.

As a parent who participated in the school closure meetings in 2010, it became clear that the processes used by our school board were dysfunctional. Trustees were put in a position of listening but not responding, and had to work with a plan that had little flexibility. The input was stored up for use at single “right-sizing” public board meeting - it was a recipe for conflict and exclusion. Students, parents, teachers, the Regional District, even principals felt left out or stonewalled during the planning process, and were told that “bigger is better.” Choice programs were slated for disintegration, previous sustainability plans were ignored, and prior district spending was not under scrutiny. Rural communities were told there was no plan now but they would look at solutions down the road. Other districts like Kamloops managed to make agreeable cuts by changing their plan during consultation. It is not every year that this district will make those kinds of cuts to schools and programs, but we need a new culture at the board office if we don't want a repeat.  An inclusive climate will help address the issues and begin to heal the rift between teachers and management on technology, goal-setting, and professional development.

Over two short weeks in 2010 I was part of a group of teachers and parents that put together the "More with Less Report" suggesting 45 ways the school district could save money, improve delivery of programs, and green up to reduce carbon taxes. This report received some press and commendation from the minister of education, but very few of the recommendations received follow-up. Imagine what a creative, dedicated board could do in two months or two years with the help of its partner groups? Two key challenges will be pushing for a better funding formula for rural schools and ensuring that special needs funding does not get lost in the system.

There are many issues facing our school board, I've explained some on my website http://trusteecooke.blogspot.com. If I had to pick just one it would be the need for a more open and accountable relationship between the school board office and the teachers, students, parents, and community.

Talking Points

Here were the notes I had in front of me at the PG all-candidates meeting... I don't think I got around to many of them...

• mother, 41, married to a teacher, my kids are here, I’m locked in for 13 years or more
• I’ve got a lot of hope for what will happen to them, for what we can do as trustees, and a lot of frustration over what has happened over the last few years
• participated in the 2010 process, saw trustees forced into a corner where it seemed like they had to follow the path of least resistance
• more with less report - we wrote this because the District Sustainability Committee’s big plan was to close schools first and look for other savings later
• just when we thought french immersion was stable the board pulls out an end to sibling priority that caused parents another 5 months of pain
• other parent groups has similar frustration - rural schools, the traditional school, crowding at Heather Park and Glenview, Malaspina, courtesy bussing issues, the list is almost endless and goes back to the brutal process used in 2010
• teachers have ongoing frustrations over technology and classroom composition, and uncertainty about how our board will interpret the gov’t agenda once the job action is over
• I’ll ask tough questions, I’ve been involved in past debates, I love to debate and pursue fairness
• tired of double-speak, message management
• I’m not doing this to add to my resume or because I want to be a politician
• some of my big issues include safer schools, rural school support like getting MAC1 open again, protecting elective programs, stopping the diversion of special ed funding, getting the board office to wake up on technology issues, improving the plans in our district for learning, facilities, and greening up our schools
• I really look forward to working with you and the new trustees and thank you for this opportunity.
• I don’t want to sit and grumble in the playground, I want to pursue fairness for everyone in the district, bring more fairness to board policy
• Jack Layton talked about the need to build a new community on higher ground, I think we need a new more open approach to solving problems in the school district