NVPAC Nov. Meeting Summary

A big thank you to all the parents that made it out in the rain and awful traffic to our NVPAC meeting last night. For those that weren't there. We elected a new Member-at-Large, Mike Sexsmith. Welcome on board Mike. 


We also had a short session on School Planning Councils, and some of the resources available to support that process in our schools. For parents interested in the variety of plans coming out of SPC efforts there is a summary of the plans on the NVSD website at:  
http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca/AboutUs/~/media/88987CDE26C84AD1BF5305F149A6DA14.ashx


Following that we discussed the very interesting and positive discussions taking place in the education and programs meetings this year.For parents interested in how the district teaches and evaluates our children we are hoping to have some of the teachers involved in the Educational Institute program  come and talk at an upcoming meeting about how this programs the District is following  improves teaching quality and mentor teachers.


Lastly we talked a lot about Wednesday nights Budget Challenge 2010 meetings. Feedback from those that attended was that cafe format was good, everyone found it very useful to have a good mix of experience and perspective at their tables and that generally the conversations were helpful, respectfull and positive.

On the other hand, attendees also felt the number of items to discuss were too great, in many cases just getting through them took too long to allow consideration and that perhaps many of them were in areas where it would be more relevant for people who understood the implications to look at the items. That there was no real time for new ideas to come to the table.

There was general agreement on a couple of things

1. That we should avoid cutting in areas that we need to heal or regrow the districts capacity and try to focus cuts in areas we can get back when situations change.

2. That the meeting didn't enable discussion on the big issues because there were so many small ones.

3. That NVPAC members see the need to restructure the district and build something new and would be willing to discuss the big issues that would entail, rather than just looking at long lists of potential cuts, .

A major concern though was that the timeline for the decision-making is unclear. Parents would like a better understanding of when decisions are being made and by whom.

Lastly, It was clear from the discussion that people recognize that we are fortunate in North Van to have a school district that does go to such lengths to consult with the broader community and parents are very glad to have the opportunity to ensure we continue delivering quality education in North Van.