2011 updates
Cowichan News Leader: Balanced budget trustees abused our trust
May 29, 2011
Dear editor
I understand cuts to our School District 79 budgets have been going on since 2002. Trustee Eden Haythornthwaite stated the enforcement of Bills 27 and 28 allowed the government to yank over $3 billion from our public schools. Since 2002, class sizes in B.C. increased as about 3,000 teaching positions were cut, including 1,400 school counselors, teacher-librarians, learning assistance, and other specialist teachers who work with students with a multitude of challenges and gifts.
All parents given an opportunity to address the board May 18 repeated the theme of asking “when is the school board going to say no more cuts?” Read more
2010 Updates
October 17: Community Forum on Public Education
- WHERE: Island Savings Centre, James Street, Duncan, BC
- WHEN: October 17, 2010, 1 – 3 PM
‘Public Education - Fully Funded and Free is a Right for Everyone’
Panel discussion hosted by the Victoria Public Education Coalition and the Community Alliance for Public Education, with special guest Patti Bacchus, Chair of the Vancouver School Board. For more information
May 19: Cowichan Board approves cuts, balanced budget
April 28: Students stage walk out
April 23: Kids Against Cuts Blog
Cowichan Valley students launch new blog on education cuts. Visit blog
Channel A News: Balancing the School Board Budget
April 22, 2010
April 15: Cowichan board under growing pressure to reject balanced budget.
Cowichan’s Finance Committee met to discuss budget proposals this week and approved a motion refusing to approve a budget that would negatively impact the following areas:
- Equality/Access
- Classroom conditions
- Aboriginal Education
- Instruction Time
- Vulnerable Students
- Care of Facilities
- Transportation
- Health and Safety
The motion effectively passes the ball back to the Board itself or senior management to choose whether or not to ignore the advice of the Finance Committee.
More News
Cowichan News Leader: Passing a balanced budget does nothing for the students of Cowichan
May 23, 2010
Ginelle Smith
Five trustees voted for cuts to programs that help our most vulnerable last Wednesday night, as well as others.
The Trustees are legally bound to submit a balanced budget to the Ministry, however I sure wish five of them would take their heads out the sand and listen to the public who attend these meetings. Read more
Cowichan News Leader: Cuts in, wounds pending
May 20, 2010
By Krista Siefkin
The consequences are still unclear but the numbers are in.
School District 79’s board of education gave final reading to its new budget Wednesday night and this is what’s known for sure:
Next school year will see at least seven fewer teachers in the district, at least three fewer education assistants and at least nine fewer support staffers like bus drivers and custodians. Read more
Cowichan News Leader: School trustees will keep jobs
May 13, 2010
By Krista Siefkin
One hundred and seven votes separate a balanced budget and a deficit budget for the Cowichan Valley School District.
That’s the number of votes that would have put trustee candidate Patty McNamara ahead of Julie Thomas in the 2008 election.
That’s the number that would have split the board of education 5-4 in favour of a deficit budget.
Instead, the board will submit a budget in the black — but evidently, it’s still split on the issue. Read more
Cowichan News Leader: More than 20 jobs cut in proposed SD79 budget
May 7, 2010
By Krista Siefkin
At least 10 teachers will lose their jobs with the passing of School District 79’s budget.
Also on the chopping block are at least three custodians and approximately eight bus drivers.
The 2010/2011 financial document received its first of three readings Wednesday night. Second reading happens May 12 with third and final reading expected May 19. Read more
Cowichan Valley Citizen: Budget cuts to slice into teachers, janitors, more
Lexi Bainas, The Citizen
May 7, 2010
They had to find $3.1 million to balance their budget and Cowichan Valley School District staff have done it by bringing out their knives and scissors.
Cutting 10 teaching jobs, slicing five days from the school year, laying off custodians for seven weeks each year, moving bus-stops, shunting alternate education students back into high schools and forcing students to walk farther to catch a school bus are just the major items in a nine-page list that the district will present to the general public at a meeting Monday, May 10 at Quamichan Middle School, starting at 7 p.m. Read more
Channel A News: School walkout
April 28, 2010
DUNCAN – About 300 middle school students in the Cowichan Valley staged a walkout today. They are protesting budget cuts that are coming to their district.. Listen to news clip
The school board is facing a two and a half million dollar shortfall in its budget.
The students are worried about how the cuts will affect their education. Today their took their concern out of the classroom
Cowichan News Leader: By passing a balanced budget, trustees would be failing our kids
Letter to the editor: April 12, 2010
School trustees have an obligation to submit a balanced budget to the Ministry of Education and may lose their jobs if they do not. This happened here in 1985, and a provincial representative wound up cutting what the board would not. However, the public remembered the trustees’ stance and re-elected them when the time came.
This year, four trustees are proposing we send a deficit budget to the Education Minister. This makes sense. They are listening to the voice of the community, which is telling them our education system can sustain no more cuts. Read letter
Cowichan News Leader: Seeing both sides of: passing illegal deficit budget
Cowichan News Leader
April 11, 2010
The case for
The government is foolishly squandering the potential of our youth by not giving them the support they deserve.
Someone needs to make a stand, but few are in a position to do something significant. Read article
Vancouver Sun: Trustees push to stop funding for independent BC schools
Lake Cowichan Gazette: School budget failed our students
Local advocacy
Public Education advocates in Cowichan (SD 79) are working together through local groups such as the Koksilah Parent Community, the Friends of Cowichan Kids and the the Community Alliance for Public Education.
- Visit CAPE’s website
