2011 Updates
Anny Daily: Mission students protest district cuts
June 16, 2011
Mission students are waging protests around school district budget cuts planned for next year.
As many as 70 youth waving bright coloured placards got honks of support from passing motorists after gathering outside Mission’s Heritage Park Secondary School last Thursday afternoon.
The teens were demonstrating against teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, fewer course choices and recent elementary school closures.
Grade 11 students Clinton Large and Kylie Harmatuik helped organize the protest after attending Mission Public Schools information meeting on the 2010/11 preliminary budget on Wednesday night.
Clinton said protesting students are particularly concerned about impending teacher layoffs.
As a means to deal with a projected $ 1 million deficit come June of this year, the district is planning to lay off the equivalent of 14 full-time teachers who have less than eight years seniority.
Eight secretaries, seven educational assistants (EAs) and four youth care workers (YCWs) will also get the axe. Read more
Abbotsford Times: Mission shuts one, saves one
February 25, 2011
Rochelle Baker, The Times
Parents fighting the closure of two rural schools in Mission got vastly different outcomes Tuesday night.
After keeping the audience in suspense for more than two hours, the Mission Board of Education decided to close Durieu Elementary School but kept Deroche Elementary School open during a meeting at Hatzic Secondary School.
Audible sighs of relief were heard from Deroche parents as the board voted three to two to save the school.
Any celebration was immediately drowned out by angry shouts from Durieu parents – a number of whom stormed out of the meeting in protest – following the board’s unanimous decision to close their elementary school in June. Read more
Contact Mission MLAs
MLA Randy Hawes, Abbotsford-Mission (BC Liberal)
- Email: randy.hawes.mla@leg.bc.ca
- Constituency office: 33058 1st Avenue, Mission, V2V1G3, Telephone: 604 820-6203
MLA Marc Dalton, Maple Ridge-Mission (BC Liberal)
- Email: marc.dalton.mla@leg.bc.ca
- Constituency office: 33058 First Avenue, Mission, V2V 1G3, Telephone: 604 820-6203
Mission MLA Randy Hawes defends school cuts
When a concerned Mission parent contacted local MLA Randy Hawes to express concern about cuts facing the district in 2010 due to unfunded provincial costs, he dismissed the concerns as “politically derived” and claimed that any cuts are due to declining enrolment (although district enrolment is stable). In a district where 90% of families choose public schools, Hawes also blamed “politics” in the public schools along with the teachers’ union, saying parents are choosing private schools because of their “superior” teaching. Read his bizarre email responses, shared with the parent’s permission.
2010 Archives
Mission faced $3 million cuts for 2010-11 despite steady enrolment, due to the Province’s failure to cover new costs.
In the news
Abbotsford Mission Times: Tough decisions as districts fight to stay on budget
Paul Fontaine, The Times
May 21, 2010
No easy answers await as local education boards battle to get back on budget.
“We are in the process of reducing our budget by $2.8 million and we are making reductions across the board,” said Mission School District secretary-treasurer Roy Daykin.
The district issued layoffs to 70 CUPE employees last week, which amounts to around 30 full-time positions. Read more
Abbotsford Mission Times: School managers to cut millions by May
30 March 2010
Christina Toth – The Times
Both Mission and Abbotsford school districts face budget shortfalls for the next school year, despite additional dollars from the Ministry of Education.
The districts have until the end of May to whittle down costs to hand in balanced budgets for approval by the Ministry of Education.
Mission School District is looking at a $2-million deficit for the next school year out of its $58.3 million budget, said secretary treasurer Roy Daykin. Read article
Mission City Record: School board facing $3 million budget shortfall
25 February 2010
Neil Corbett – Mission City Record
The Mission School District is drafting plans to cut $3 million out of its budget for the coming year.
Government has cut funding, and a school board is not allowed to run a deficit, so the only choice is to pare down expenses, explained Secretary-Treasurer Roy Daykin.
He presented the budget forecast for the 2010/2011 school year. It shows $56.6 million in operating expenditures, with a shortfall of $2,944,200. Read the story
