Diary of a Mad Trustee

Open Board Meeting on April 2nd, 2008

Principiis obsta...Finem respice
Resist the beginning… Consider the end

This meeting got off to the best of all possible starts – a somewhat impromptu delegation from Tansor (one of the schools slated for closure) there to make a statement and proudly present a petition with 801 names .The PAC chair proceeded to place the situation in context and though she was cautioned by the chair for her truthful observations she did not retreat from her position. She said what she had come to say and swept out of the room with her three little kids in tow. Somehow I thought it almost makes this whole bitter process worthwhile just to witness the potent, heroic capacities of the families that live here come into sharp connection with the dopey arbitrary authority of the school district. I include a few words from Michelle Martin’s message because they bear repeating and I could not ever say this better than she did.

“We are aware that 8 schools have been closed in the last 10 years, and not one drop of money has come down to help out in extra programs, for teachers, or aides, etc. We, the concerned citizens of North Cowichan, and Duncan, encourage you, the Board of Trustees, to stand up and submit a true budget that reflects what this District needs in order to fully run all programs effectively and not to shut down any more schools.

You have your community, from all four schools and more, to back this decision. You can put the pressure on the Government, too. You can stand up and make sure that they hear us, through you, and that this funding formula is for sure, changed, in the best interests of Education. If you can’t do this, then you are in the wrong position, and I wouldn’t bother going up for reelection. This community requires citizens that will stand up to this Government’s lack of interests in full funding the Public Education for this District and others in B.C. Remember you support us and our children’s needs, not the Governments.”

I should add that according to Ipsos-Reid – one signature on a petition is the voice of 30 people in terms of prospective representation of views in any community. Therefore 801 signatures is equivalent to 24,030 voices in our valley. What does this mean for the conclusion of these closure measures if indeed the outcome must reflect community will?

I suppose that since we have had a stay of proceedings we can justly assume that if the board felt confident in its approach to the dismantlement of our schools they would have plowed ahead – report from ministry mandarin in the wings or not. Perhaps this is as good a time as any to just stop… just stand back, take a breath and call this whole sorry mess off. Sure – it would be a spectacular climb down from the colossal raking together of crazy rationales for school closure to just saying sorry for the balls up – normal service will resume as soon as possible. Oh yes – and we did not fail to notice that the school communities had much more thoughtful material to present while ripping our position to shreds. Can we just forget this ever happened? Seriously…

After Michelle left we sat through a thoroughly cringe making presentation from retired superintendent Doug Player – I had had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a BCTF conference on Ministry funding priorities and he made quite allot of sense then. But it seems we paid $7,000 to have him tell us that our international program was not working well and that we really had to get down to the unsavoury business of marketing our valley to wealthy families from China, Russia and the Middle East so we can cash in big style.

It may be time for this board and boards in general to consider a few thoughts and have a hearty chat about aspects of the international student dilemma that speak to ethics and responsible government. First of course a dialogue about the wisdom of setting precedents for providing for our public education needs – enhanced or otherwise – from the proceeds of commercial venture. Where will it end? What else can we flog to bring in the money we don’t get from the government – instead of devoting time to weaseling around designing various rackets to raise money we could be creating the political environment where public services are fully funded and revered as critical features of our lives?

School boards should not be in business, education should not be sold to some folks to subsidise the growing shortfall in financial commitment from our truant government. Paying customers in a system where for the most part the service is provided for free is a recipe for trouble.

Further – as the decisive factor for being welcome as an international student into the current program is purely monetary we should ask ourselves if cultural exchange should best be accomplished by public /public partnerships that provide the means to have young people come to our schools from other places based on more fine minded criteria like need and merit .You remember ‘need and merit’ – concepts from the olden days before we were directed to believe that money could and should buy anything.

Since last fall when we tried to get the alternate education program out at the Lake moved to more suitable quarters in the Stanley Gordon library from the Clode Centre (conditions there are roughly those of a Burmese railway) we have waited for air quality readings from Stanley Gordon that has finally given us the all clear. So logically we tried again to move the program and now we are being diverted with more silliness.

First a simple refusal to believe what has already been established at this very board table – that the air quality and mould readings are fine. And bizarrely that since things are so deeply crappy in the main school why should the alternate program be granted the elaborate privilege of being located to a place where the teacher can adequately supervise the kids all the time and have the use of more up to date computers and access to internet service - in the magnificently appointed Stanley Gordon library; available with a bit of cleanup. We already maintain this site - so why not have our kids and staff enjoy the benefits.

Stay tuned – it will come up again and soon but surely the requirement for increasingly fantastic reasons for not simply going ahead with this thoroughly rational change will have to be devised by more imaginative minds than the ones at the board table. Alien possession, wild animals on the loose, secret biscuit factory – is there any excuse that will not be used to prevent this disturbing turn of events? Almost makes it worth staying alive just to hear the next chapter…almost.

On a thoroughly happy and charming note (I know – I don’t usually do ‘happy and charming’) I had the privilege of observing the lunch program at CVOLC under the gentle mentorship of Dean who guides his kids through concept, shopping, prep and service twice a week. They managed to design a menu that accommodated each others proclivities and worked as a team to bring the meal to the table for themselves and their fellow students. All conviviality and much less swearing than Gordon Ramsay – beef dip and Caesar salad (no anchovies despite my cries of purist alarm). It was a thorough pleasure and if these lovely, composed kids are anything to go by – our schools are full of young people and staff who deserve oh so much more than the bare bones provisions they receive to cultivate their diverse strengths. And – it would be a good idea to measure all learning by something more humane and sensible than test scores, grad rates and narrow achievement protocols.

So…if you want to submit your views on closures, budgets, facilities, governance, philosophy of education, community relations or recipes to the ‘special’ advisor you can email him at leesouthern@shaw.ca. Seems a likeable fellow – and should not have to report back to the ministry without hearing from YOU.

Your Trustee Pal
Eden