Vancouver DPAC will be holding its regular general meeting - which is open to all parents - on Thursday September 28th. This meeting will focus on "PAC 101" with presenters Nathan Wilkes (past Chair) and Rob Peregoodoff (current Chair)
It will be held in room 180 at the Vancouver School Board offices (1580 West Broadway).
This is a great session if you have new PAC members, need a refresher for your Executive team, or need reinforcement on the roles and responsibilities of a PAC. All parents and guardians in the Vancouver school district are welcome.
PAN Asks Own Questions of VSB Trustee Candidates
There are 19 individuals who’ve put their names forward as candidates in the October 14th by-election for Board of Education. Some are running as independents, some with existing political parties. Some names are familiar, some are less known.
We believe citizens/voters of Vancouver, especially parents of school-aged children, should cast a vote in the by-election. We also believe voters should do their due diligence and get informed about all the candidates to make an informed choice; informed about both the candidates’ platforms and experience, but also important is who they are and how they plan to effect change.
We have asked all 19 candidates the same 6 questions and we will post their answers – which are due by October 1 – (or their lack of response) on our website by October 4th to help voters make an informed choice.
By-Election for VSB Trustees - 2 All Candidates Forum
The Vancouver by-election to elect a new 9-member Board of Education will be held October 14th. Advance voting will be held at City Hall on October 4th and 10th. We encourage all voters to get informed about the individuals running for Trustee positions for the Vancouver School Board.
The City of Vancouver has published information on all the 19 candidates who are running for the VSB Board. Additionally information on their education platforms can be found on the related links in their profiles.
Forum - Oct 2
The Institute for Public Education is hosting an all Candidates Forum on Monday October 2, 2017, from 7:30-9:30pm at the Trout Lake Community Center. in Vancouver. Candidates will be available for a question and answer session about their vision for the future of Vancouver schools.
Forum - Oct 3
Vancouver DPAC is holding an all Candidates Forum on Tuesday October 3, 2017, from 6:30-9:30pm at John Oliver Secondary School in Vancouver with Tracy Sherlock as moderator. This event is open to the public, but DPAC especially invites parents/guardians in the school district to attend. Admission is free.
Attn Special Needs Parents: BCCPAC Needs Your Input in Survey
The BCCPAC strongly believes that every child deserves access to a full day of education. Since the spring, they have been actively advocating regarding the problems faced by families of children with special needs who are unable to attend school full time. They are now conducting a parent survey to confirm how widespread this issue is across BC public schools. The survey will close on October 6, 2017 and we encourage you to add your information.
BCCPAC will be taking survey results directly to the Ministry of Education with the expectation that changes will be made to end discrimination against children with complex learning needs. Please forward this email and survey link to your PAC or DPAC members as well as other parents that would be interested in participating in the survey.
Questions for Parents re Back-2-School
PAN will be once again (our 3rd time)presenting to the Select Standing Committee on Finance & Government Services in October 6th. In preparation for this presentation and to help us better understand exactly where the issues are with insufficient funding and/or the unintended effects of the implementation of the Supreme Court of Canada ruling regarding class size and composition, we are asking for your input from the front lines.
As parents, you know and see where the deficiencies are, where things are not as they should be. We have a brief survey we are asking parents to complete - we would really appreciate your help in gathering this data.
Please share the survey within your parent networks.
PAN Requests Gov't Action to Attract Teachers for SCC Implementation
Today we sent a letter to the Honourable Rob Fleming, Minister of Education, Scott MacDonald, Deputy Minister of Education and Dave Duerkson, Executive Director, Legislation, Policy & Governance Branch asking for the government to take more action to help attract and retain teachers and remove some of the impediments for hiring. Read our letter.
BCCPAC Issues Statement on Provincial Budget
The provincial budget was released September 11th. The BCCPAC released its statement indicating that "the budget update good start but more needs to be done for public education in BC". They have strong concerns about effect of TOC shortages on students. Read the full release: http://mailchi.mp/bccpac/bccpac-media-release-budget-update-is-a-good-first-step-but-more-needs-to-be-done-parents-voice-concerns-about-effect-of-toc-shortages-on-students
For more information on the Parent Advisory Network visit:
Web - www.panvancouver.ca
Facebook - www.facebook.com/panvancouver
Twitter - PAN Vancouver@PAN_Vancouver