A $5 Billion Mess: BC’s School Maintenance Bills Pile Up
‘It’s not a crisis yet, but it will be if we don’t do anything about it.’
https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/07/18/BC-School-Maintenance-Bills/
Files for Jennifer Whiteside, BC's Minister of Education
Sat, 2017-07-22 21:18
#1
Files for Jennifer Whiteside, BC's Minister of Education
Wed, 2017-07-26 23:03
#2
Show some courage here Rob and bite the bullet. Taxpayer funding for private schools is passe, and the funds could be put to much better and 'fresher' use elsewhere..........
New Minister Vows ‘Fresh Attitude Towards Public Education’
Former critic turned education minister Rob Fleming talks to the Tyee about his first priorities.
Indigenous students’ outcomes are improving, but students are still below the provincial graduation rate. There are also issues like racism in schools, and there could be more Indigenous content in curriculum. What can Indigenous people expect from your ministry?
I think we have some very recent instruction from the Truth and Reconciliation action items that relate to the K-12 ministry, that will help drive success of Aboriginal and First Nations’ learners.
My sense is that there’s a lot that needs to be scaled up, that’s working quite well in certain parts of B.C., helping Aboriginal students get not just higher graduation rates but parity with non-Aboriginal learners.
That’s what the goal should be: we should be looking at erasing any distinction between the graduation and other outcomes between First Nations and non-Aboriginal students, and aiming for a 100 per cent completion rate in our school system. Eighty per cent is not good enough.
I’ve heard repeatedly that we could fix the public education system if government stopped funding private schools. But your government has said that’s not going to happen. What do you say to people who don’t understand why?
I think what people found egregious was government underfunding public education at the same time that it looked like funding was increasing for those partially subsidized private schools in our province. I think that what they really want is a government that is focused on the well being of public education, a system that continues to serve nearly nine-in-10 kids in our province.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/07/25/New-Education-Minister-Vows-Fresh-Att...
Sun, 2017-07-30 20:30
#3
BC’s New Gov’t Pledges Urgent Action on Education — Canada Should, Too
We should treat this essential service more like emergency care.
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/07/28/Canada-Should-Pledge-Urgent-Action...
Wed, 2017-09-13 20:22
#4
Absurd!
Who was the uh... genius, who created this policy?
Province Legally Obliged to Cough Up More Cash for Independent Schools
BC private schools received a $40.4 million funding boost because public school funding increased.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/09/12/Province-Legally-Couch-Cash-Independe...
Fri, 2017-09-15 11:49
#5
Former Vancouver school board chair Patti Bacchus will write about K-12 education for Straight.com
https://www.straight.com/news/965266/former-vancouver-school-board-chair...
Fri, 2017-09-15 18:41
#6
Who was the uh... genius, who created this policy?
That policy is also what allows your province to mandate curriculum content and other standards for private schools.
Sat, 2017-09-16 12:10
#7
Fri, 2017-10-27 15:50
#8
Patti Bacchus: Education Minister Rob Fleming should tell controversial Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld to go
https://www.straight.com/news/986986/patti-bacchus-education-minister-ro...
Thu, 2017-11-09 22:39
#9
Rich parents who send their kids to private schools were never going to vote NDP anyways so......
Want to Pull the Plug on Tax-Supported BC Private Schools? Not So Fast
But boosting funding for the public system will reap rewards.
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/11/08/Tax-Supported-BC-Private-Schools/
Thu, 2018-03-29 22:05
#10
Fri, 2018-04-06 00:06
#11
Damn, this woman makes sense!
Patti Bacchus: We need to talk about year-round schooling
https://www.straight.com/news/1054041/patti-bacchus-we-need-talk-about-y...
Wed, 2018-04-11 01:30
#12
Thank goodness we have had a change in government in BC!!!
B.C. teachers’ union files human rights complaint against Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld over allegations of transphobia
Two unions have filed Human Rights complaints against a B.C. school trustee, both alleging transphobia
https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/04/10/bc-teachers-union-files-hum...
Sun, 2018-04-15 19:52
#13
Come on Rob. These parents want their kids to learn French in bilingual Canada. Surely we can find more French teachers to accommodate them.
Sun, 2018-04-15 20:04
#14
Damn, this woman makes sense!
Of course, now that you're done with school. But when you were still in school, were you fighting tooth-and-nail to reduce the summer break?
These parents want their kids to learn French in bilingual Canada. Surely we can find more French teachers to accommodate them.
I'm guessing that any teacher whose primary skillset is French Language would be delighted to earn their salary teaching it. Do you feel the problem is that nobody speaks French, or nobody wants to earn a living wage teaching it?
Tue, 2018-07-10 22:08
#15
Sat, 2018-08-25 14:46
#16
An Education Minister Unlike his Predecessors
Rob Fleming: Back to school gives all students opportunities for success
After years of underfunding by the previous government, Premier John Horgan made it a priority to quickly make a number of positive changes in B.C. schools, recognizing no investment is more important than a quality education—it's the key to a better future and a prosperous economy.
https://www.straight.com/news/1121631/rob-fleming-back-school-gives-all-...
Fri, 2018-11-02 04:44
#17
It would be great if Patti Baccus decides to run for the NDP next election as she knows the drill
Jagmeet Singh should get together with Patti
https://www.straight.com/news/1159331/patti-bacchus-do-we-really-need-more-special-ed-assistants
Sat, 2018-11-10 00:26
#18
Fri, 2019-03-15 01:05
#19
Fri, 2019-03-15 10:11
#20
Sun, 2019-03-17 10:28
#21
Fri, 2019-04-05 16:24
#22
Nothing like an NDP government to do the right thing.
B.C. becomes first province to provide free menstrual products in schools
Wed, 2019-09-11 06:33
#23
Mon, 2020-02-17 14:10
#24
BC Has a Teacher Shortage — How Bad Is It?
Union and government disagree on impact, but students are paying a price.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/02/14/BC-Teacher-Shortage-How-Bad/
Thu, 2020-06-18 08:45
#25
Thu, 2020-06-18 20:52
#26
Let's get rid of tax deductions or any other government assistance for these these private schools once and for all, and stop supporting them on the less affluent dimes.
Study shows private schools may be a waste of money
https://www.straight.com/education/patti-bacchus-study-shows-private-schools-may-be-a-waste-of-money
Thu, 2020-06-18 20:54
#27
1st school related Covid-19 case in BC which is another good reason to shutter private schools.
COVID-19 in B.C.: One case at independent school, Peace Arch Park closure, Canadian app, and phase three
Mon, 2020-06-22 16:41
#28
Education Minister Defends Funding Cut to Private Distributed Learning Schools
BC Liberals blast change that returns to pre-2012 funding formula for students who choose to study at home.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/06/22/Education-Minister-Defends-Funding-Cut-Private-Schools/
Sat, 2020-10-24 01:29
#29
I bring this to people's attention not because I agree with it but because when the election is over, whoever the education minister will be, BC's schools need to immediately start teaching labour history as part of the high school curriculum if the NDP want to continue winning elections, they they will need to use every tool they have at their disposal beginning with the BC school system
https://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/alberta-diary/2020/10/jason-kenneys-han...
Sat, 2020-11-07 18:58
#30
Mon, 2021-04-26 19:27
#31
What If We Truly Put Teachers in Control of Educating?
The Finns did just that. The result, says a new book, is world-class schooling.
The authors of In Teachers We Trust offer a lesson from Finland: “Trust — in both teachers and students — is a key condition for self-directed learning.’ Photo: Shutterstock.
In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish Way to World-Class Schools
By Pasi Sahlberg and Timothy D. Walker
W.W. Norton (2021)
A book on improving trust in public education is very timely, precisely when the pandemic has eroded trust in most public institutions — including the schools.
The authors of this book describe how effectively Finnish schools responded to the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago: “On Monday, March 16, the Finnish government decided to close all school buildings and university campuses just two days later. Schools were advised to organize remote learning using alternative methods.… Educators had one full day to make plans so that no child would suffer and be left behind.”
They carried through on the decision, because the government trusted the teachers and the teachers trusted the government. As the authors say, “Trust — in both teachers and students — is a key condition for self-directed learning in Finnish schools.”
https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2021/04/26/What-If-Teachers-Control-Educating/
Mon, 2023-01-30 15:30
#32
The Shine’s off Finnish Education. Pay Attention, Canada
In the land whose students once topped the world, scores are declining. Why?
For first graders, iPads
Doyle is skeptical of the Finns’ rush to “digitalization.” He cites Helsinki schools that give first graders their own iPads “to learn Finnish at home.” In upper grades, “most everything is digital,” even though education and health authorities say kids should be limited to two hours of screen time daily.
“The unlimited and uncritical proliferation of 24/7 digital access down to very low ages has, in my opinion, contributed to the collapse of reading, especially among boys, the elimination of movement at recess, and an avalanche of classroom distractions, compounded by laptops handed out by schools at ages 12 or 13 with no filters or limits, laptops that are often being used as entertainment devices during class time without teachers knowing (screens face away),” Doyle says. “All of this hurts learning and displaces physical activity. It is rarely talked about here, despite a tidal wave of global research associating excessive screen time and excessive social media use among young people with a wide range of risks to mental health, physical health and lower academic achievement.”
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/01/30/Shine-Off-Of-Finnish-Education/