Kamloops

Background

Kamloops voted in February to close three more schools, despite vocal local protests, including a rally that brought teachers, parents, trustees and local officials together  outside MLA Kevin Krueger’s office to highlight the community’s concerns about underfunding of public education.

But the closures weren’t enough and trustees were forced to vote on April 27 for more “crippling” cuts to staffing and programs in their 2010-11 budget. A total of 57 jobs were cut, along with several programs, to balance the budget, as trustees strongly criticized the province’s role in creating the budget crisis.

News

Kamloops Daily News: Teacher takes cause on the road

July 19, 2010

A Prince Rupert teacher has taken her concerns about the state of public education on the road in hope of generating awareness and discussion with each pedal stroke.

“People seem to be losing hope and confidence in our (education) system,” said Tulani Ackerman, 30.

Ackerman was en route from Savona to Kamloops when The Daily News caught up with her Sunday morning. She was on day 18 of a 43-day bike ride from Prince Rupert to Victoria.

During the course of her 3,000-kilometre trek she hopes to create awareness of educational issues, start discussions and take action to create a more effective system of learning for students.

A teacher-on-call, Ackerman has spent four years teaching secondary school students and has heard first hand the concerns parents, teachers and youth have.

She believes the current curriculum isn’t satisfying children’s individual needs. Part of her goal on this ride is to get parents, educators and communities thinking outside of the box when it comes to how children receive their education.

“We’re not giving that broad range of education that kids need. Where are the arts? Where are the programs that are connecting kids to nature?” she said, adding important electives are being lost in the funding crunch. Read more

The Province: Kamloops-Thompson School Board to introduce book deposits

July 7, 2010

Ian Austin, The Province

The Kamloops-Thompson School Board has come up with a new, old idea in its budget battle — book deposits.

The trustees voted Monday to charge students entering high school or middle school a $50 deposit — capped at $100 per family — that would be returned if the student returns the books.

“It’s something that we’ve been looking at for a few years,” said superintendent Terry Sullivan. “We’re facing a $5.4-million deficit. We’re closing schools, we’re reconfiguring schools — so it seemed like a good time to give it a try.” Read more

Kamloops This Week: Education’s woes tied to underfunding

June 22, 2010

Letter to the Editor

The two greatest threats to public education are the chronic and consistent underfunding of public schools by the B.C. Liberal government and the Fraser Institute school rankings, which use unreliable measures to drub public schools.

In a letter to the minister of education signed by the public-education partner groups in the Kamloops-Thompson school district, it was recognized there are insufficient funds provided to adequately meet the needs of students in our district. However, every district is facing similar problems — including Surrey, which has a growing student population — placing to rest the claim that student enrolment is the cause of the funding crisis.

While Minister of Education Margaret MacDiarmid chose the Vancouver board of education as a target, one cannot help but wonder why every school district in the province is facing budgetary challenges. Read more

Kamloops Daily News: Trustees don’t fear repercussions from VSB report

June 8, 2010

Jason Hewlett, Daily News staff reporter

A five-year plan that closed schools and axed jobs means the Kamloops-Thompson School District will likely see no repercussions from a scathing report on the Vancouver school board, trustees said.

Comptroller-general Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland’s report, delivered Friday, accuses the Vancouver board of mismanaging its finances, making bad decisions and not being upfront with its financial situation.

That prompted Vancouver trustees to decree Monday that the report opens the door for Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid to make broad changes to public education.

But Kamloops-Thompson school trustees don’t see it that way. Board chairman Ken Christian said the report vindicates a lot of decisions trustees have made, no matter how unpopular the outcome might be. Read more

Clearwater Times: SD73 principals play musical chairs

May 24, 2010

The principals and vice-principals of School District 73 are playing musical chairs and, when the music stops, most will be at a different school, some with different jobs.

It’s all part of the district’s school-reconfiguration plan.

Twenty-two principals and vice-principals will be changing schools and, in some cases, jobs, in order to accommodate the reduction of seven principal positions the district determined necessary in order to meet this year’s reduced budget.

The loss of seven positions is higher than usual. Read more

The Daily News: Province doesn’t provide district with budget template

April 27, 2010

By Jason Hewlett

The Kamloops-Thompson School District has its 2010-2011 budget ready to submit, but the province has failed to deliver the method necessary to do so, school trustees learned Monday night.

The budget instructions and template required to deliver the $123-million document to the Ministry of Education did not arrive as scheduled Friday afternoon. Read more

The Daily News: Teachers union to request coalition with trustees

April 26, 2010

Jason Hewlett – Daily News

Kamloops teachers want to work alongside school trustees to avoid a growing number of layoffs that are crippling public education, the president of the local teachers’ union said Sunday.

David Komljenovic makes his appeal to the Kamloops-Thompson School Board at a meeting tonight where trustees are expected to approve the $122.9-million 2010-2011 school budget.

“We’re going to ask the board to join us in advocacy work and try to pressure the provincial government to provide the necessary funding,” he said. Read more

The Daily News: Layoffs loom over school district budget

April 5, 2010

By Jason Hewlett – Daily News staff reporter

The question isn’t if jobs will be cut when the Kamloops-Thompson School District rolls out its proposed 2010-2011 budget — but how many.

“It’s to the point now where you’re not just cutting to the bone, but where you’re cutting into the bone,” John Hall, president of CUPE Local 3500, said Sunday.

Hall and outgoing Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association president David Komljenovic look to Tuesday night’s budget presentation with trepidation as layoffs are anticipated across the board.

Given the recent realignment of the school district, Hall anticipates about 12 full-time jobs could be lost, he said. But with administrators still looking to recoup a $2.4-million deficit, that number could climb. Read article

Kamloops this Week: Three schools to close under SD 73 plan

February 23, 2010

Melissa Lampman | Kamloops this Week

As forewarned by the Kamloops-Thompson board of education, retaining the status quo is not an option when it comes to the sustainability of schools.

This came to fruition on Monday night as elementary schools were dealt the biggest blow in the district’s reconfiguration plan. Read the story

The Daily News: Rally for education slams Grits

February 18, 2010

Jason Hewlett | Daily News

The province has gutted public education to the point that the system is on the verge to collapse, participants at a rally heard Wednesday.

Only a united front of parents, teachers and school trustees will deliver the message that people will not stand for it, said Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association president David Komljenovic. Read more

Contact Kamloops MLAs

MLA Kevin Krueger, Kamloops-S. Thompson (BC Liberal)

MLA Dr Terry Lake, Kamloops-N.Thompson (BC Liberal)