NEWS FLASH

ITEMS FOR Education BOARD’S CONSIDERATION at next board meeting.

1. A review related to the possible closure of Bradshaw Elementary.

2.A plan for additional consolidations, closures and boundary changes.

3.French Immersion programming in the South and Central schools not to register grades 6, 8 French Immersion classes. Where they could be relocated at HD Stafford.

4.H.D. Stafford School for September 2008 to become a 6-8 Middle school with French Immersion?

5. LSS to become grades 9 – 12. With current grade 8s going to HD?
Both to have common time table.

6. Several programs to be dissolved or moved by 2008.

There is so many presenters wishing to address the board that there is a waitlist. That is the problem with Trustee Burton's changes he made to policy 1204 and another reason I see the board as ineffectual due to them approving it.

Place of Meeting:

Brookswood Secondary Time 7:30 p.m.

20902 – 37A Avenue, Langley, B.C.

The entire agenda can be viewed at http://www.sd35.bc.ca/menu.asp?N...d/ meetings.html
ss | 04.06.07 - 9:03 pm | #

Susan, what you, and the board, are missing is that parents have every right to be upset. We are not stupid, and we do understand the enrolment issues.
But the board knew years ago that the enrolment decline was coming. They just refused to be proactive. They continued adding programs to try and whoo students from other districts or private schools without doing their homework. They wasted endless amounts of money chasing after new students for the district instead of doing research to find out why some students attend private schools or are home schooled. Had they pursued this course, they would have discovered that there just aren't enough students out there to justify all the money being expended to try to lure them.
They told schools as recently as two years ago to 're-invent themselves'. They should have known that the best any school could do is draw students from other Langley schools. Parents, students and staff put tremendous effort into following the advise of their school board, and now they are being told, aw, never mind - that wasn't really very good advise.
One will take notice though, that the board didn't start getting really serious aboout closures, amalgamations, reconfiguing, or whatever else you want to call it, until they had wasted (at last count) $14 million making sure that their fundamental friends were happy and secure, and needing nothing. If you want your kids to lead a charmed school life in Langley, better get them into the fundie program, or they will just get the leftovers. This program could have well been expanded and accomodated with existing facilities and there is nobody in senior management or on the board that could dispute that. And, please, Cheryl Beaumont, was their inside 'string-puller'. Now that she is superintendant, the rest of us can look forward to nothing but scraps.
And, Susan, what is happening in districts where students are being bussed for hours to school is irrelevant here. We chose to live and raise our families in Langley, not in rural central BC, where one could expect that kind of situation.
It will be interesting to see if the district even cares about the programs that kids are currently enrolled in at the elementary level. Will the fine arts and Montessori programs end at grade 5 if we go back to a middle school system?
All I know is that my kids have been jerked around by this system enough times and I will not allow it to happen again.
I have been researching distance education, and it seems to be a great option. Or even moving our kids to a more stable school district would be better. Now, don't go saying that if we change school districts, I am not thinking about my kids. I just see that they need more stability in their school lives and it is obvious that the Langley School District is incapable of offering that.
Anon. | 04.08.07 - 3:54 pm | #

I agree with you on some of your points. I was wondering if you are so true to your convictions,why would you not sign your name? You also think I agree with what the board is doing. I do not for I believe they can still look at other avenues before closures. Are closures of some facilities inevitable yes, do the parents and students have a right to be upset yes, could the board if effectual have prevented some of the closures with some good planning and decisions yes. Most of this board has been around for 6 or more years now and are left with the results of their poor decisions. I do not think they are effectual and have been saying that for a long long time. It is your choice how your children are educated and where. I can only hope that the choices you make are the best for your child. Distant education,home schooling,even private school are options. If the parent is able and has the time or the money to do any of those options. I wish you the best in your endeavors.
Thank you for your comments
Susan Semonick | 04.09.07 - 8:22 am | #

"agree with you on some of your points. I was wondering if you are so true to your convictions,why would you not sign your name?"

SS knows blogs are suposed to be anon. Why ask for a name except to curb debate. ug.
Walnut Grover | 04.10.07 - 11:00 am | #

You both seem to have the same opinion, just different ways of expressing it. I feel for anon as we considered pulling our kids to a more stable enviroment as well. We need a new board with new faces who have the guts to clean up the past mess.
Lorna | 04.10.07 - 5:28 pm | #

"SS knows blogs are suposed to be anon."

Sez who? There is nothing "supposed to be" about it. Plenty of people have the **** to own up to what they say. Others like myself don't.
Anonymous | 04.11.07 - 8:26 am | #

"We need a new board with new faces who have the guts to clean up the past mess."

Though I too, would like to see new Board members after the next election in 2008, some of the blame has to be placed on the Provincial government for their funding policies.

Have our MLAs spoken out in support of public education? Do they feel the Provincial government is providing adequate financial resources? Do they just sit back and watch yet another closure in their communities?
Anon-Y-Mouse | 04.11.07 - 9:09 am | #

Sure, funding is a problem, but the school district has mismanaged to a point of it being almost laughable - if so many kids weren't being hurt. There is absolutely no leadership here, they throw bandaids on situations and firefight but nothing is ever part of even a short, let alone long term plan. How can the board even show their faces when they haven't even taken possession of the Christian school yet, they are still renovating to create a new high school within walking distance of Brookswood, and at the same time they are trying to decide which four elementary schools to close and what they are going to do as the enrolment deficiency reaches the secondary schools. They should be ashamed and apologetic, but they should certainly not be treating the public like we are the stupid, uninformed ones in the room.
anon | 04.12.07 - 12:05 am | #