SD52 sets May 12 as date for 2020 Budget Approval

SD52 moved to a remote model of
Board Meetings for April

School District 52 officials will be reviewing the final notes on the financial plans for 2020 and beyond later this month, that as they plan tp bring this year's budget process to an end in Mid May at their Regular open Board meeting on May 12th.

The update on the Budget came as part of the Board of Education's overview of their April 14th Meeting conducted by the Zoom video platform, with trustees having rescheduled some of their consultation work on the budget to April 27th.

As for the other notes of interest from the April 14th session the School District received an presentation from Charles Hays Secondary School Principal Sandy Pond who updated the Board on the Continuity of Learning program in place during the COVID-19 emergency. With the CHSS principal noting of the work of teachers and staff to deliver lessons, complete Term 2 report cards and develop new online lessons plans.

As part of her presentation Ms. Pond also made note of the work of the schools support staff in the unusual times that the School District is facing.

Those efforts from all involved across the district were the subject of some praise from Board Chair James Horne.

“The Board of Education could not be more proud of all district staff as we seek to respond to the suspension of in-class learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to hope for the best for all staff, students and families.”

The way that the School District will move forward with their schedule of Board Meetings also made for a theme of the April meeting, with the Board making note of the new remote Board meeting process.

The Zoom video platform is the chosen method of delivering the meetings, that thanks to the Ministry of Education which has purchased a provincial Zoom licence for the K-12 sector to ensure that public meetings can continue to take place.

The School Board reminded parents, students, staffers and others of the ongoing updates to their COVID-19 advisories which are available on the School District website and social media accounts.

The Board of Education also announced that after a spirited debate the 2020-21 and 2021-22 School Calendars have been approved, both years will feature two week Spring Breaks, which has been the policy in place for the last few years for SD51.

The April online session provided for some approvals towards Capital Budget planning, with the item at the top of the Boards list including the submission of the Concept Plan for the seismic replacement of the Prince Rupert Middle School.

Also approved at the April meeting were:

Lighting upgrades for all schools
Washroom upgrades for all schools over a three year period
Playground equipment for Lax Kxeen Elementary School

You can review the School District notes from the SD52 website here.

More items of interest on education in the Northwest can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.