(From the CBC website)
Calgary’s public school trustees voted on Tuesday night to put off a proposal that would have stopped members of the public from making presentations at board meetings.
The motion — drawn up by trustees Joy Bowen-Eyre, Pamela King and board chair Pat Cochrane — also sought to restrict questions from trustees at meetings.
Proponents of the procedural reform said it was aimed at making the Calgary Board of Education meetings more efficient.
But some trustees argued citizen input is vital to a publically-elected school board.
After debating the proposal – along with several amendments to it -- the board voted unanimously just before midnight to ask its proponents to consult with the public and re-submit it in February.
Larry Leach, an advocate with the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools, praised the decision to rethink the changes.
“I think they're further ahead in the sense that they have listened to the public. I think indeed taking away a form of public engagement without replacing it was not the best move,” he said.
Visit CBC to view the article as published here.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
From Larry Leach, Chair of ARTICS
(This was sent to Shane this morning, as ARTICS' response to the CBE Trustee's announcement to alter how the public can interact with the board.)
Please excuse this unsolicited contact. But the members of ARTICS (the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools) feel strongly about the right to have a voice in the public education system, a value that we think you might share.
We learned yesterday that CBE Trustees Cochrane, King and Bowen-Eyre are proposing updated board procedures that aim to silence parents by eliminating the opportunity to ask questions or address the Board as a whole. In essence, if you have a dissenting voice, the CBE Board of Trustees does not appear to want to hear from you. Instead, the CBE would rather dictate the agenda and parameters of the discussion, as opposed to allowing the public to bring issues forward as they see fit. You can find out more on our blog at: http://www.knowyourtrustee.
Please join the public board meeting of the CBE Board of Trustees today (Dec 20) at 5:00pm (until 5:45) to hear possibly the last ever public questions and stakeholder reports. The address of the Education Centre is 1221 - 8 Street SW. Let's not let them sneak this through at Christmastime. Whether or not you are able to attend, please write or phone your trustee, to share your thoughts about this attempt to silence the public.
Larry Leach
Chair, ARTICS
Trustee contact information:
Wards 1 & 2: Joy Bowen-Eyre, 403-294-8121, jmboweneyre@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 3 & 4: Lynn Ferguson, 403-294-8263, lcferguson@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 5 & 10: Pamela King, 403-294-8261, plking@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 6 & 7: George Lane, 403-294-8265, gslane@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 8 & 9: Pat Cochrane, 403-294-8123, pjcochrane@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 11 & 13: Sheila Taylor, 403-294-8120, sltaylor@cbe.ab.ca
Wards 12 & 14: Carol Bazinet, 403-294-8241, cabazinet@cbe.ab.ca
(Our trustee is Carol Bazinet)
Calgary Board of Education considers changes to limit public input at meetings
(From the Calgary Herald website)
The city’s public school board is considering sweeping changes to its meeting procedures that would abolish public input, eliminate individual trustee questions and maintain sole authority to broadcast proceedings.
The working group report prepared by a trio of trustees — chairwoman Pat Cochrane and representatives Pamela King and Joy Bowen-Eyre — says the aim is to make Calgary Board of Education meetings “more effective and efficient.”
None of the report’s authors responded to a Herald request on Monday for an interview.
Read more here.
(Weren't they asking for MORE public input not too long ago?? - N)
The city’s public school board is considering sweeping changes to its meeting procedures that would abolish public input, eliminate individual trustee questions and maintain sole authority to broadcast proceedings.
The working group report prepared by a trio of trustees — chairwoman Pat Cochrane and representatives Pamela King and Joy Bowen-Eyre — says the aim is to make Calgary Board of Education meetings “more effective and efficient.”
None of the report’s authors responded to a Herald request on Monday for an interview.
Read more here.
(Weren't they asking for MORE public input not too long ago?? - N)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Don't forget!
Haultain's Christmas Concert takes place on Wednesday evening, at 7pm in the gymnasium - hope to see everyone there!Alberta school boards' cash goes to teachers
$65 million to hire more than 600 teachers
The Canadian Press
Redford restores $107M in education funding
More than half of the $107 million returned to education funding by the Alberta government has gone to hiring teachers.
The government says school boards spent $65 million to hire more than 600 teachers.
Another $23 million was spent on almost 400 additional teachers' aides.
The rest went toward classroom materials, professional development, technology and equipment.
Within days of becoming premier in October, Alison Redford returned the money that had been cut from the education budget.
Read the full story here.
The Canadian Press
Redford restores $107M in education funding
More than half of the $107 million returned to education funding by the Alberta government has gone to hiring teachers.
The government says school boards spent $65 million to hire more than 600 teachers.
Another $23 million was spent on almost 400 additional teachers' aides.
The rest went toward classroom materials, professional development, technology and equipment.
Within days of becoming premier in October, Alison Redford returned the money that had been cut from the education budget.
Read the full story here.
Parents advocate Wi-Fi ban despite evidence
By Linda Nguyen, Postmedia News
Although wireless Internet can be found everywhere from your corner coffee shop to your local dog park, a growing group of concerned parents across the country are urging health officials to keep it out of one place: schools.
And if this year was any indication, the chorus of opposition to the popular technology and its potential health effects is gaining momentum.
In September, at least 12 elementary and middle schools in Ontario and B.C. imposed sweeping bans on wireless Internet by not installing it or removing it completely from their classrooms. In May, the World Health Organization reclassified the radio frequency (RF) energy emitted through wireless devices such as cellphones and Wi-Fi connections as possibly carcinogenic.
Health Canada maintains that strong scientific evidence shows current exposure rates to these low-level frequencies is “not dangerous” and that there is no need for the public to take any precautions.
Intrigued? Disturbed? Read on here!
Although wireless Internet can be found everywhere from your corner coffee shop to your local dog park, a growing group of concerned parents across the country are urging health officials to keep it out of one place: schools.
And if this year was any indication, the chorus of opposition to the popular technology and its potential health effects is gaining momentum.
In September, at least 12 elementary and middle schools in Ontario and B.C. imposed sweeping bans on wireless Internet by not installing it or removing it completely from their classrooms. In May, the World Health Organization reclassified the radio frequency (RF) energy emitted through wireless devices such as cellphones and Wi-Fi connections as possibly carcinogenic.
Health Canada maintains that strong scientific evidence shows current exposure rates to these low-level frequencies is “not dangerous” and that there is no need for the public to take any precautions.
Intrigued? Disturbed? Read on here!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Temper Tantrums: The Science
"To conduct their study, researchers equipped toddlers with wireless microphones sewn into their clothing and – over time – recorded more than a hundred tantrums." - sounds like a lot fun...?
Roxane B. sent this in. If your child indulges in temper tantrums, this may make for an interesting read. In case your kids are a little older and you've forgotten the pleasures of a great meltdown, I've included a video of this poor child who just wants to sit at the corner of the table, unfortunately the table is round.
Roxane B. sent this in. If your child indulges in temper tantrums, this may make for an interesting read. In case your kids are a little older and you've forgotten the pleasures of a great meltdown, I've included a video of this poor child who just wants to sit at the corner of the table, unfortunately the table is round.
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