ANSWERS to QUESTIONS put forth at the DPAC hosted ALL CANDIDATES MEETING on OCT 3/2018

at the NWSS LIBRARY1. How could you encourage parent participation and improve the relationship between parents and trustees at School Board Meetings, Policy Development, or Budget Committees?

Anita Ansari: I’d like to open up the board meetings using a livestream setup similar to how Council does it. I’d also like to advocate for connectivity through blogs (similar to what Patrick Johnstone does) not managed by one but a few different trustees, so you have an idea of what everyone’s perspective is like. Lastly, I’m always open to what the mothers of the New West Mom’s Group have to say through facebook; I’d like to capture the 3am questions that keep us awake at night through a blog format, with answers to them provided within a reasonable time frame (i.e. I hope I’m not answering them back at 3am!!!)

Dee Beattie: Online communication works best. Ability to watch board meetings on line, send in questions and comments online, weekend meetings and engagement opportunities such as surveys. Alejandro Diaz:By facilitating meetings in a manner that encourages community participants to share their feedback in a constructive way. It is important for school Trustees to connect with local groups and emphasize on how the school board appreciates their input. Only way to engage community is by learning and under- standing community issues and providing information to the schools to post for parents to know when the meetings are and what is on the agenda.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: It starts with asking parents how best to engage with them and adapting accordingly, i.e. do they need increased use of social media, monthly handouts or materials in multiple languages? Or do they want trustees to come to them more often? As for policy and budget, allowing opportunities for participation from parents/PACs prior to developing policies and the budget, as well as allowing for feedback before finalizing either through roundtables or online/paper feedback forms.

Mark Gifford: While there are opportunities to encourage parent participation at Committee and Board meetings, it would also be productive to find alternative ways to meaningfully engage a range of parent (and student) voices and perspectives in the work of the District. We’ve begun to rotate monthly Education Policy and Planning meetings at different schools. It has had benefits, but it hasn’t exactly revolutionized parent engagement. I think this in part because no matter where you host them, Committee and Board meetings aren’t always conducive to conversation between Board and audience. Roberts Rules of Order may be great for moving through Board business and decision-making, but they just don’t do a great job of creating accessible space for open dialogue. Plus, our meetings are often boring and run late into the evening. Outside of upping the entertainment value (a DJ, Trustee karaoke, SD40 Jeopardy perhaps?), a few thoughts: - Livestream meetings – viewership may not break the internet, but it’s relatively cheap and would allow people to tune into agenda items of interest - Modify the structure of our meetings, and allocate more up-front time for a facilitated conversation around a question parents, students, teachers and staff have expressed an interest in exploring. - Provide free childminding at all Committee and Board meetings - Host mobile, multi-lingual conversation “pop-ups” in different neighbourhoods with Board and senior staff, to listen and exchange ideas - Work with education partners to develop a framework for better participation in budget planning and decision-making - Work with DPAC to host semi-annual learning forum for parents Build on success of recent EdCamp, an “unconference” format which creates space for students, parents, teachers and support staff to bring diverse sets of knowledge, curiosity and experience to an area of interest.

Lisa Graham: Typically, Board meetings are not well attended by parents. Adding a new commitment to the family routine, like attending a board meeting, is generally challenging. People aren't used to walking through the doors at the new board offices (it's not something that feels familiar to them) and families have busy schedules -- work; sports/dance/music practices for their children; not to mention childcare issues or perhaps even transportation issues -- these are all reasons why parent participation is lower than it could be at the various school district meetings. To improve parent participation, in addition to posting the meeting schedules on the district's website, probably the first thing to be more proactive in alerting parents of meetings would be to ensure that re- minder notices are *consistently* going out in school newsletters -- e-alerts are a great avenue of communication. Another suggestion: the Board could choose to rotate the location of meetings to host them at different schools across the district -- this would afford parents the opportunity,

convenience, and 'comfort-level' of staying within their catchment area to access board proceedings. Years ago, this is something that the board used to do and it yielded a fairly decent measure of success in bringing folk out to our meetings. Scheduling meetings at an earlier start time and providing child-minding services might also be an option to boost parent attendance/participation. As it is now, even if child-care services were offered, the meetings are scheduled at such an hour (and meetings can be lengthy!), that proceedings would sur- pass a reasonable bed-time hour for children on a week-day.

Scott McIntosh: I will improve relationships by listening and responding to all parties in a respectful manner. I suggest email survives and sent home for people without internet. Reading and returning all emails. Meeting with anyone that would like a face to face.

Cyrus Sy: I would recommend creation of a Parent Engagement Task Force consisting of parents, PAC members, district staff and trustees to gather community feedback on the current state of communication and relationship between parents, school board and district. The output would be to create a district-wide communication and engagement plan. I personally would encourage use of technology and accessible methods of communication such as online surveys, social media, and online forums. Board meetings should not be the only means of engaging with the board as it can be intimidating and inconvenient for many. We need to encourage smaller forums within each community, with parents, community and through local PACs.

Lisa Falbo:As a PAC member at Glenbrook for the last three years I see a big surge of attendees at the beginning of the year and then it slowly declines as family activities begin. I was very surprised when I attended School Board meetings and there were only 2-3 people in attendance. The Trustees were quite combative and make for an uncomfortable setting. The New West Progressives can all work together. Furthermore, Families have busy work schedules, activities and childcare issues. It can also be uncomfortable for parents to be at the Board, as I noticed that there were more attendees when one of the meetings was held at Herbert Spencer. I would like more School Board meetings to take place at the schools, this way parents can be close to home and come and go. I believe the Board could choose to rotate the location of the meetings to different schools in the district. The School Trustees for New West Progressives would also like to create a Parent Engagement Task Force consisting of Parents, PAC, district staff and trustees to gather community feedback. The output would be to create a district-wide communication and engagement plan.

Maya Russell: As a parent of three kids at New Westminster schools, I think making our board’s decisions family-friendly is very important. First, PAC’s are not just for fundraising – they are also an important sounding board, as is DPAC. I’ve worked with government and community organizations, and the engagement principle I’ve learned is that you need to go to where people are. For most families, attending a board meeting is not realistic. I’m committed to improving communication with families, starting with an annual survey, and using a variety of modes for input and discussion so that there are different ways that work for different parents.

Danielle Connelly: I think we need to start by asking for more parent involvement and engagement. Creating a task force for parent engagement would be a starting point. Some ideas to look at include: - Setting up MyEducation BC in New Westminster for teachers, parents and students would be another step to improving parent / student awareness and engagement. - Reaching out better via social media - Auto- calendar integration apps would allow board meetings, PAC meetings, pro-d days, parent teacher interviews and important dates to immediately sync with parent calendars on their home computer or smart device.

2. Explain what your top 3 priorities for budget allocation would be for the next 4 years.

Anita Ansari: 1. Facilities for schools! Finishing up capital projects, including the seismic upgrades, allowing for a transition into the new spaces, and moving the portables out of the operational budget and into the capital budget.2. Supports, both for students needing help in the school system (such as staff and support resources, and timely assessments for students in need), and also for programs such as arts funding, to provide an outlet and emotional support for students growing up through a stressful socio-political time. 3. Diversity in education, through programs of choice, support of SOGI implementation and specific solutions to problems raised in each school to address the concerns of parents and students unique to the specific makeup of each school.

Dee Beattie:1. Teacher pro-d plus resources to deliver new curriculum. 2. EA training on behaviour management, applied behaviour analysis. 3. Library upgrades to ensure modern library commons areas are available to all

students. Alejandro Diaz:1. Increase number of Educational Assistants in each classroom to promote a more productive learning environment for all students. 2. Modular classrooms vs portables. We must ensure that students are sufficiently addressed regardless of decisions by the provincial or city governments. Queensborough is quickly outgrowing its facilities. They have a growing younger student population than the rest of the city, so these issues will be around for the long term unless they are addressed 3. Teacher Development. Great Teachers create Great Students. Gurveen Dhaliwal: 1) Increasing Mental Health Support Services 2) Hiring more support staff 3) Funding for the arts

Mark Gifford: It will be important for the Board, early in its term, to develop a strategic plan with staff, partners and stakeholder groups, to review data and evidence, and gain input on district-wide priorities and longer term strategic directions. A plan that is guided by our vision, mission and values and sets priorities that can be operationalized and measured. But to take the bait, three priorities for our operational budget that would improve inclusion and engagement of all learners: 1. Improve supports for inclusion of students with unique needs in classrooms and schools. There are different dimensions to this, including: more resources for early assessments and support, recruit and hire additional ABA-qualified EA staff, build on examples of school-wide success stories that we are beginning to witness across the District. 2 . Improve early grade literacy and numeracy foundations by increasing resources and partnerships that improve learning outcomes for struggling students. 3. Develop and resource a district Arts & Culture strategy that values deeper integration of the arts across the curriculum, supports relationship-building and reconciliation with diverse Indigenous and cultural communities, expands opportunities for students to access music/band and specialized arts pro- grams and spaces.

Lisa Graham: Staffing -- Technology -- Performing Arts

Scott McIntosh: This question is not easy to answer as I have not seen the budget. The new schools and reducing the portables. Planning for the future and getting to the needs of today Cyrus Sy: I would prioritize the following three areas: Special Needs - Hiring teachers, education assistants, resource teachers and support workers to support students with special needs. Technology and Innovation in Learning - Equipping our schools with technology and equipment to support new curriculum delivery, along with training and support for all teachers for new technology to support development of innovative learning programs. Arts - Delivering on mandatory arts education supporting both fine arts, digital media & arts programs.

Lisa Falbo: In 2016, 6 daytime custodians, 10 Education Assistants and 4 clerks were let go. As a Trustee I believe the first priority is to hire education assistants and support workers as well as daytime custodians. The daytime custodians can rotate from school to school. We need to have clean, safe and inclusive learning environment. Secondly, equipping our schools with technology, equipment and resources for staff, children and parents. Supporting student arts education is a priority and be supported in developing the arts in other educational streams as well as focusing on heritage and culture. Cross-pollination of the educational streams would enhance the ability for educators to focus elements of the arts in their respective disciplines. Maya Russell:

Due to the teacher’s court challenge win, we are now seeing more teachers back in classrooms. A priority for me would be to 1) start to restore staff positions cut due to BC Liberal under-funding, including building maintenance and outdoor supervision; 2) provide more access to early learning assessments so we can identify learning challenges early in the elementary years, and 3) supporting strong arts and cultural programs like band and choir in every city neighborhood.

Danielle Connelly: - Improving learning spaces, including; better short term solutions for

portables (covered walk ways, ramps), day time custodians, equal access to technology for all students and ensuring current replacement and seismic upgrade projects are finished on time and on budget.

- Special needs - hiring teachers, EA’s, resource teachers and support workers to help support students with differing needs.

- Curriculum implementation and teacher training so the transition can be as seamless as possible, as supported as possible and help our students reach their full potential.

3. Give an example of concern that would require collaboration with stakeholders such as the City or District and how you would help facilitate discussion to lead to a solution.

Anita Ansari: Traffic around our schools is a hot button issue for many parents. I would like to work with the DPAC as well as the City to come up with solutions to have safer walking zones around schools (especially the new schools being designed / built, which will have the opportunity to interface with traffic better than they do now) so our children are able to walk to and back from school safely. I would facilitate this discussion by linking up the traffic advocate from DPAC to the traffic engineering department in the City, and leaning on Council members who understand how important walkability is to a thriving city to champion past roadblocks and commit to the budget required to improve the situation. Dee Beattie: I would like to collaborate with Translink and the city to bring “all on board” “raise a rider” for free transit for all k-12 students, or at least class sets so teachers could plan field trips on a regular basis for facilitate student learning outside the classroom. Alejandro Diaz: Transportation for some secondary students to get to NWSS is not adequate. Without adequate transportation students can not take advantage of all of the opportunities the school has to offer. Gurveen Dhaliwal: Childcare and traffic are two concerns that are fairly universal throughout the district that would require collaboration with the City and/or Province. I’ve heard from the community what sorts of traffic calming solutions they would like to see around schools and as a trustee, advocating on their behalf to the city to negotiate a feasible solution. As for childcare, the board has an opportunity to collaborate with the provincial government to apply for funds to create new spaces and potentially with the city for either land or other supports

Mark Gifford: There is a scarcity of childcare and school-age care in New Westminster, which has a significant impact on children and working families. The expansion of licensed childcare and school-age care takes strong collaboration and planning between SD40 and the Province of B.C., City of New Westminster, Fraser Health, builders and non-profit operators. The Board has taken early steps to identify opportunities that would draft on current capital planning. We have conducted an environmental scan, worked with City partners, and engaged the Ministry of Children and Family Development. At the October 2, 2018 Operations Meeting, my motion to pursue development of the first 100 new spaces passed unanimously. The speed and success of this effort will be in large part determined by building on the communication and working partnerships we have nurtured between both staff, elected officials and partners. Lisa Graham: PORTABLES on school grounds represent an over-crowding issue; of concern is that they encroach on limited available playground space.We see over-crowding in our schools across the district but in Queensborough, the situation is critical and it's

directly linked to the ambitious densification that our city has-been and continues-to-be focused on (right now, New Westminster is at a population of about 70,000 but by 2021 it's expected to be 84,000). It is a big part of why I will be pushing for more frequently scheduled meetings between the Mayor and Council and Board of Trustees. So that our decision-making processes are current and updated and more coordinated, we need to *regularly* discuss the issues that impact both city and school district operations. TRAFFIC - For the safety of our students ... and all pedestrians, cyclists, and yes, even motorists, I would like to partner with the City to solicit/commission a professional assessment of every New West- minster school during peak traffic hours (at drop-off and pick-up times). The generated data from the traffic study would go a long way to informing solutions to existing safety issues, ... and improved traffic flow around all of our schools will benefit ALL of New Westminster.

Scott McIntosh: Land for the future schools that will be needed with the growth of New Westminster. It upsets me to find out the City was looking to keep land on the old Woodlands site and the former School Trustees turned down the land as they stated it was not needed. Cyrus Sy: Traffic and ensuring safe walking routes to school would be an important concern that would require collaboration with stakeholders at the city and district level. Increasing child care spaces in the city is another important concern. I would call for creation of a City-Schools Advisory committee whose mandate is to advise and recommend solutions on shared issues such as traffic and safety, long range capital planning, and maximizing the use of school and city facilities for the benefit of the community and students. Lisa Falbo: We are advocating for the creation of a City-Schools Advisory committee whose mandate is to advise and recommend solutions on shared issues such as infrastructure, mental health, traffic and safety, long range capital planning, and maximizing the use of school and city facilities.

Danielle Connelly: The safety of students walking and/biking to school is an important area to collaborate with the City. The immediate creation of a traffic / safety advisory group with members from the city and schools (parents / teachers) would be a way to start addressing these concerns and coming up with actionable items. Our platform calls for the creation of a City-Schools Advisory committee whose mandate would be to advise and recommend solutions on shared issues such as traffic and safety, long range capital planning, and maximizing the use of school and city facilities for the benefit of the community and students.

4. What programs of choice do you think should be added or expanded in SD40 and why?

Anita Ansari: I would love our district to build a gifted education program. Gifted and talented students have higher odds of getting a Ph. D. and of filing patents, moving conventional technology and wisdom forward in innovative and unexpected ways. However, a gifted student often also comes with other challenges, ADHD being a common example. This means that there are two costs to ignoring gifted students; not only are their abilities not developed to their fullest potential, the lack of support and boredom/disengagement they feel with a regular curriculum makes them spiral out. It’s a disservice to these children and the promise they bring of a better future to just ignore them. I would love there to be a specific pro- gram supporting and nurturing their very specific needs. Dee Beattie: Programs such as remedial help for students with learning disabilities, or gifted programs. I would put a focus on what is needed to ensure students who learn differently have the opportunity to have their needs met. Alejandro Diaz: Expanded: Montessori and French Immersion. Montessori should increase its capacity. It’s a great system that is based on self-direct activity and hands on learning and collaborative play. Montessori method can improve social functions. Second or third language provide an edge in career choices and enhances listening skills and memory.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: Home learners and virtual schools could be expanded. The flexibility of how we deliver education has been very beneficial to many parents and students who require it. These environments support students social and emotional wellbeing as well as their extra-curricular activities, both of which are very important.

Mark Gifford: At this point in time, I would be reluctant to expand any of the current core District programs of choice (French Immersion, IB, Montessori and Home Learners). However, I would like to see the District expand Apprenticeship programs at NWSS, and explore the development of an Arts Academy or Semester in the Arts for high school students seeking a more immersive arts-based learning experience.

Lisa Graham: The district offers a variety of choice and developmental programs: International Baccalaureate, Montessori, Early-Late-and Continuing French Immersion, Strong-Starts, Alternate Programs, Adult Education, Trades Programs, etc. -- "choice" is important because different learning styles require different approaches. Personally, I fully support 'choice' but I want to be very clear on this next point, I am in favour of adding and/or expanding 'choice' **where it is feasible to do so** ... but there are a number of criteria that must be met in order to "make it so": 1. is there programme curricula?2. are qualified staff available to teach the program?3. is there a cohort? sufficient expression of interest

4.will there be depth over time beyond the entry-level interest?5. do we have the capacity?, that is, do we have sufficient physical classroom/teaching space to accommodate a growing program?6. budget -- do we have the funds to pursue this, or can those funds be acquired? *An example of a program of choice that I would like to see happen in this district? --- We have a 1260- seat professional theatre, the Massey ... and we have extremely competent and dedicated Performing Arts staff ... considering the ever-increasing profile of 'Hollywood North', in order to enhance the talent of our local youth, and the local economy, I would like to explore the possibility of creating a Musical Theatre Academy.

Scott McIntosh: I feel trades and pre-apprentice programs are needed as the cuts of the apprentice board harmed the trades and the trades are badly needed and not respected in the education system.

Cyrus Sy: We should strive to offer programs of choice that appeal to a range of learners and their abilities. As such I would to a comprehensive review and survey of existing programs and look to add or expand programs in the area of fine arts, enriched or gifted learners, and home/online learning program.

Lisa Falbo: I would like to see the Apprentice Program at NWSS be expanded to draw a variety of students. When I attended the handing out of the Certificates last year there was only one girl in the Carpentry program. Perhaps extend it into Health Care, Film and Horticulture. I would also like to review a program for enriched or gifted learners.

Maya Russell: My first priority is to ensure that every student is getting the best public education in our mainstream classrooms, with early learning assessments and more support for individual learners. I see a gap for gifted learners, who can really struggle in school and are at risk to drop out early if we don’t challenge and engage them. And I’d love to see an outdoor school program. But I would be guided by our community’s priorities, and open to input.

Danielle Connelly: enriched learning (we are losing many students to other districts offering programs for younger grades). There are many amazing sporting, arts and academic / apprentice programs we could look at for our district. The important pieces here are; 1. determine the need 2. determine the funding and advocate as necessary 3. determine the space requirements If the need is there, we need to be working as a district to meet those needs in a way that supports our students.

5. How are you going to support growth of schools in this district without portables being the solution?

Anita Ansari: The long term solution to growth is more school space. The short term bridging solution, aside from portables, is innovative use of the facilities we already have – a dual shift system, satellite classrooms (being taught classes with sections that can be taught at home, and sections that require classroom time) & partnerships with other public spaces (partnering with the Arts community for arts programs for example, instead of stuffing it all in our existing school space), to tide us over until more space is made available in newer facilities. It all goes back to bridging the need until we get permanent long-term facility space.

Dee Beattie: Portables will happen when provincial governments do not fund capital projects. We need our trustees to advocate and take a stand for the children of New Westminster. We now have a provincial government who is trying. We can not stop development but we can work at looking at future needs and putting plans that benefit in the long term

Alejandro Diaz: Previous governments didn’t buy land. Current government has committed $2 billion over the next three years in capital spending for schools across the province but will have to work with local governments to get permits to build more schools. We need to advocate to the provincial government to ensure that New Westminster receives adequate capital funding to support the many new families that are moving into New Westminster.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: For starters, continuously advocating to the provincial government for capital funds to create and/or expand new schools is key. I cannot promise no future portables but I can promise to advocate for the capital funds our district desperately needs. In addition to that, the board needs to work with developers and the city to negotiate space in new developments for schools. We are limited with land here in New Westminster but we can get creative with it too, for example: a future downtown elementary school could be the first three floors of a residential tower and Sapperton Green development could include a designated space for our public schools

Mark Gifford: Building great facilities and learning spaces to accommodate growing pressure on available classroom space is a key priority, and some of these ideas are described in my platform statement found at https://www.markgifford.ca/facilities. We are dealing with the consequence of long-term neglect by our last Provincial government, which for years balked at investing quickly in seismic upgrades and new schools, and when they did, would only consider current enrolment to guide size of project. Portables became necessary to keep pace with growth, but also to accommodate restored smaller class sizes, per Supreme Court ruling against previous government. That said, in the past four years, six school capital projects have been completed or are underway, representing spaces for 60%

of our student body. Current government has created more flexibility in ability of districts to plan for growth, and sped up approval timelines. In the next three years, we will: - Complete NWSS (2020), McBride (2021) and Tweedsmuir (2020) capital projects - Secure Queen Elizabeth 12-classroom and Neighbourhood Learning Centre Space

expansion in Queensborough (2019) - Secure Provincial funding for site acquisition and building of new elementary school serving downtown west/Brow of the Hill neighbourhoods (2020) - Priorities of our 5-year capital plan guides negotiations with the Province. Addressing these priorities is enabled by continuing good working relations and communications with the Province, engaging the City in our planning and development process, and effective advocacy with Provincial education net- works, such as BCSTA and BCASBO. - Advocating for shifting costs of portables from operating to capital budget would be one other way to exert more pressure on Province to fast-track new school expansion plans, rather than have Districts (and students) bear the brunt of portable costs through scarce operating dollars. - The District has taken a number of steps to improve appearance, quality, facilities, and connectivity of our portables this year. For as long as portables remain as part of the school facility picture, it is important to ensure they are as good spaces as they can in which to teach and learn.

Lisa Graham: This was the very first question that I pulled "on the spot" at the DPAC all-candidates forum and honestly, to begin with, it took me by surprise. My mind raced to think of how growth could be accommodated sans portables!! My response was that New Westminster is only seven square miles total, and of that, the district has but a portion of those seven square miles, and we're not making any more land! To accommodate growth in the absence of portables would likely be somewhat challenging ... ! That said, at this point, having some time to properly digest the question, I thank you for the opportunity to revise that initial response! Growth is coming, and likely at a pace that will be hard to match at this point. I understand that currently, there is a capital request before Treasury Board for approval of funds to construct a desperately needed structural addition to Queen Elizabeth Elementary School. While it is certainly the first ever of that kind of a submission from this district to the Ministry of Education, I expect that it won't be the last. For the benefit of our students' health and recreation pursuits, and so that we can protect our limited green space, my preference would be that, in the future, such re- quests will propose that we build "up" on top of our existing buildings and not "out" onto our school properties.

Scott McIntosh: to work with the City of New Westminster with planning and funding from development. Then get the province on board.

Cyrus Sy: Portables will continue to only be one part of the solution to manage growth in schools. From a board perspective, we need to be a strong advocate for student needs at the provincial and city level. We need to unite with other school boards to advocate for changes to the funding formula such that a) new schools get funded based on projected growth and b) districts are not forced to fund portables out of operating budgets at the expense of teachers, support and resources for students. At the City level, a City-Schools Advisory Committee would be tasked to seek more efficient use of school and city facilities and land for education, and plan for growth that that puts a priority on schools. Given the limited land availability in New West, we should also encourage use of modular school building designs, building “up”, and even consider using existing city space such as Anvil Centre as space for learning or activities (eg. Fine Arts or Digital Media classes for high school students)

Lisa Falbo: To accommodate growth in the absence of portables would likely be somewhat of a challenge, however building up with additions to existing schools with the limited land availability is very possible. The portables are taking up fields where the kids play and exercise. This needs to be a priority for the student's health and wellness. Maya Russell: Firstly, it’s only been in the last two years that the provincial government would build schools based on future enrollment, not current enrollment – which is so short-sighted it’s hard to believe! New Westminster is growing, and the provincial government is the funder responsible to build adequate schools. The immediate priority is to expand Queen Elizabeth Elementary, getting those students out of portables and into the school building. Portables are also a huge load as they currently come out of our operating budget. We also need to look at our needs in the downtown area. I will work hard speaking up for our kids with the provincial government to make sure we get the neighborhood schools that our growing city needs.

Danielle Connelly: Looking for creative solutions (modular additions, and creative use of city spaces). By closely monitoring decisions that will put additional stress on schools not meant for rapid additional growth. When Fraser River was announced it was named “Ecole Fraser River” and parents were led to understand they would have french at that school as well as at Glenbrook. Somewhere along the way, the district decided to move the entire middle school french immersion program to Glenbrook, the school was already at capacity and is now losing active play space with the addition of portables while Fraser River Middle School is under-capacity (excellent for future growth for that area of the city, not so great for Glenbrook as we continue to grow the district french immersion program). These types of decisions need to involve more communications and long-term vision / planning.

6. How is the district attracting skilled French teachers? How will you as a trustee improve French Immersion teacher retention and hiring practices in our District.

Anita Ansari: We don’t have the option to pay teachers more than their contract with the government allows. All we can do to attract teachers is build better schools and a better community to bring teachers to want to teach here. This especially holds true for skilled French immersion teachers who are a wanted commodity across our province and others. We need to have the space and the supports to allow teachers to choose us, instead of spending resources looking abroad for expertise that may not want to relocate here

Dee Beattie: Teacher recruitment is difficult for all of Vancouver and area. We need to work with the provincial government and look at ways to recruit new teachers. One idea I heard of is subsided housing for new teachers, this would be an ideal solution for encouraging teachers to come from other provinces or cities to teach in New West Alejandro Diaz: We can’t do anything with salaries as salaries are provincially regulated. But we can get people excited, proud and appreciative of New Westminster culture. Culture can define an organization and make all the difference when it comes to retaining employees and keeping them happy.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: Attracting skilled French teachers is a challenge throughout the province and I know our Minister of Education traveled to France to attempt to recruit teachers. From a small district perspective, this too is equally as difficult. Partnering up with post-secondary institutions (UBC and SFU) and working with the local union on identifying the needs of our district and strategizing how best to attract, retain and hire French teachers would be an initial step on delivering results for our students.

Mark Gifford: - Chronic scarcity of French Immersion teachers is an issue faced across Canada. - District has one of the highest percentages of French Immersion students in the Province, and finding ways to attract and retain French teachers and support staff is important. - Advocate to Province to make further increases to this year’s funding for French education seats at UBC and SFU (a total of 74 new seats have been added in 2018). - Develop new learning and exchange partnerships, such as the agreement between Government of France and Province of B.C., being signed October 12 at Qayqayt Elementary School. - Supporting professional development and teaching certification for District paraprofessionals through programs like SFU’s Professional Linking program

Lisa Graham: The problem with attracting skilled French teachers to any district, not just this one, is that demand exceeds supply. Because of our central geographic location in metro-Vancouver, New Westminster is already an attractive district to work in. Moreover,

because we already have a significant cohort of FI students, the "community-climate" of our schools contributes to an established network of support among FI staff members and fosters a sense of connectedness among the local FI community. The physical building where an FI program is offered can, itself, be a factor in attracting staff -- maintenance of our school facilities matters. One of the biggest draws for FI teachers is the variety of resources that are available to augment the delivery of classroom lessons. Our senior staff work hard to recruit specialty teachers and will continue to do so but, at the risk of repeating myself, there is no getting past the obvious ... as frustrating as it is, unfortunately, there is an extremely limited pool of qualified candidates for hire.

Scott McIntosh: It is getting harder for retention everywhere. The best way is to support the teachers that we have to work on programs that will interest and bring in new French Immersion teachers.

Cyrus Sy: The district could attract more skilled FI teachers through outreach at post-secondary institutions (eg. SFU, UBC, UVIC) and highlighting the unique benefits of New Westminster school district. The district could also support a cross province (eg. Quebec) or recruitment campaigns. Since affordable housing is a major barrier to attracting young teachers, a City-Schools advisory committee could also be used to help develop a city housing policy/strategy that focuses on providing affordable housing targeted at attracting skilled teachers.

Lisa Falbo: The demand exceeds the supply and it is very frustrating as there is a limited number of qualified candidates for hire. I would like current French immersion students to be recruited in high school. Give them incentives to come back to their community by providing great resources and schools. Maya Russell: I think the partnership with communities in France is a neat way to recruit French teachers. Also, right now in BC teachers are in high demand and we are competing with districts all over to recruit and retain. I think we should take a hard look at what we are doing to retain teachers once they start in New Westminster. The teacher’s contract is the same across BC, but we can foster a safe and supportive learning environment where teachers flourish. The National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety is something that workplaces are looking at across Canada. I’d like our district to bring this workplace mental health lens to our human resources work in partnership with teachers, staff and administrators.

Danielle Connelly: Looking further afield, offering more on the job training and mentoring for younger teachers could help attract more teachers. To be very honest here, I don’t know the answer. This is something that would require reaching out to the community and looking to engage and build a plan to enable our district to attract and retain french teaching staff. The parents for french network is a strong one and a ready resource to begin this discussion with. We could also be reaching out to teaching colleges to see what teachers are looking for and what would attract and retain them.

7. As a trustee how would you better support children with special needs, learning disabilities or mental health concerns? What recommendations or changes would you like to make.

Anita Ansari: Early assessments, more supports and resources in the class room, and more educational assistants to help kids who need it the most. I’d really like to decouple the drain that portables have on the operational budget and put that money back into classrooms where they are needed the most.

Dee Beattie: We need the funds that are targeted for student support to go directly into the classroom. I would want to understand how much is being used on administration. Learning disabilities and mental health concerns needs to be addressed with additional funding. Alejandro Diaz: 4 years ago, our middle son was diagnosed with Autism. My family have seen first-hand the struggles principals, teachers and assistants deal with daily – both which involve lack of funding, training and staffing. I want to bring a voice to their needs and to inclusiveness in the schools so that children like my son Parker have every opportunity to be successful in life. Inclusiveness goes beyond the individual student. We must also be inclusive of all our communities in New Westminster and will bring a voice to the school board that balances compassion for students with fiscal advocacy and responsibility

Gurveen Dhaliwal: Increasing funding to better support students with unique needs would be a top priority; this includes more staff, training and resources to effectively support students. This could either be through the timely completion of early assessment and individual education plans or to better communication with parents and the transition between schools. In addition to that, I’d like to see the district create a comprehensive, evidence-based mental health strategy for both students and staff; this is one of my biggest priorities and further details can be found on my website.

Mark Gifford: As trustees, we can help support through policy development, monitoring district data and performance indicators, improve opportunities for parent and students to be engaged and share their in-sight, and allocating budget resources towards strategies to improve outcomes for children. We can also collect and analyze data and stories to be effective advocates with the Province for full funding, particularly through the Provincial Education Funding Model Review currently underway. Specific examples: - Improve access to early assessments and connection to resources and supports - Creating a District Mental Health & Wellness Strategy

- Form a District reference group of parents, students, and staff to provide feedback and identify opportunities to improve experience of students and families - Improve school transition planning and orientation for students with special needs, particularly from middle-to-secondary schools - Build on successes being modelled in schools across the district that improve social-emotional learning and inclusion of all students - Enhance peer-to-peer coaching and professional development opportunities for classroom teachers and support staff - Better recognize the experience of trauma in lives of many students and families, its impact on relationships and learning, and whole-school strategies to ensure every student feels safe and included - Strengthen partnerships, including those with Fraser Health, UBC Counselling, UBC Human Early Learning Partnership.

Lisa Graham: Inclusion is a recognized mandate of this district and the short answer to this question is to lobby the Ministry of Education for increased funding that is sufficient to address existing need. The reality is, this is an historic dilemma and an on-going challenge for trustees across the province. Examining 'inclusion' in a more comprehensive manner, it is important to recognize that New Westminster School District supports inclusion In a context that extends beyond special needs students. Though not necessarily enshrined in policy like our SOGI initiative, SD40 staff have always practiced a tremendous open door/open mind/ open heart approach to assisting students struggling with a variety of social, emotional and personal issues. With available resources, our staff does an outstanding job of addressing the non-school needs of many of our students (weather-appropriate coats and footwear, counselling, breakfasts in the morning, hot lunch programs, extra-curricular out-of-school programs and clubs, etc.) Unfortunately, there is of- ten more need than there are resources to address it. Why do we do this? We do this because we know that when a child’s physiological needs are met, their capacity for learning increases exponentially. Similarly, for new immigrants, we work very hard to support our “new” students as they adjust to a new language and culture, as well as an expanded new role within their own family unit — it is an uncommon stress for children to act as the conduit between their family and the larger society but it is a common occurrence for newly landed immigrant students. With regard to both learning and teaching conditions, when we meet all these kinds of needs, it benefits the whole classroom/school/and community - and that's a big part of inclusion as practiced by our district. In terms of the inclusion of special needs students, being the parent of an autistic ‘child’, my son, it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. So that other families would not have to endure the same obstacles and hardships that we experienced, many of the issues that I've championed through the years have resulted in positive change. That being said, there is still a long way to go -- we need to build on the positives we've established and focus on areas of concern: for example, it was recently communicated to me

(by multiple sources!) that support for our special needs students and staff is currently not meeting the standards they require and deserve. Naturally, it goes without saying that the inclusion of special needs students is important to me and I absolutely assure you; I'm more than ready to roll up my sleeves and get back to work. I would like to propose that TARGETED FUNDING for our special needs students be re-instated. Though it's been a number of years now, I distinctly recall when the Ministry of Education announced the policy change to de-target special education funding. The rationale given for the change was that it would give trustees greater flexibility when allocating funds. In my opinion, this was a mistake. Now, most trustees liked that change; I was not among their ranks. The flimsy safety-net that special needs students once had was removed. For families like mine and staff who worked with kids like mine, it was de-moralizing. Essentially, in budget deliberations, instead of fixed amounts for specific students, trustees could and did allocate those monies for other more generalized supports. Personally, I believe that if a designation of special needs qualifies a student for extra funding supports from the ministry of education then, in order to optimize their learning supports, that funding should be directly tied to that student. Currently, that is not what is happening. For the benefit of all, if we can't influence change to reinstate targeted funding for special needs students at the provincial policy level – and I'm going to give it my very best effort to do just that – then perhaps we could improvise at the local level and implement an internal Special Needs Strategy. That is, in our local budget deliberations, as a board we could purpose to assign those generated revenues to the students who legitimately 'qualified' for them. It would be interesting to know which trustee- candidates would be willing to support that kind of bold move.

Scott McIntosh: I would like to make programs that parents do not need to go to a doctor to get into. All students learn differently. I like to look at programs that give children the opportunity to enjoy school and learn and support the way the student learns.

Cyrus Sy: Adequately supporting children with special needs, learning disability and mental health comes down to funding. We need to work with other school boards/districts to advocate for changes in the provincial funding formula to adequately fund programs and support for all learners and their special needs. At a district level, one area to explore is finding ways to expedite assessments so more time and money can be spent on additional support to those who need it most. We should also seek to partner with other non-profit groups and partners that support special needs and mental health. For example, we can

mental health literacy through programs like the UBC supported “Bringing Mental Health to Schools” online curriculum resource.

Lisa Falbo: It is essential that we offer and fund early identification, designation and personalized programming for all learners. We need to make sure we have full EA and teacher staff compliments. The Trustees need greater flexibility when allocating funds so that we have more resources to address the issues associated with special needs, disabilities and mental health. For example, the New West Progressive Trustees would like to introduce the UBC supported “Bringing Mental Health to Schools” online curriculum as a resource.

Maya Russell: I have spoken with way too many families who have been driven out of our public schools, as under-funding has left students without enough supports to be successful. Families are home-schooling or moving to private schools in order to meet their kids’ needs. I believe that every child has a right to a public education in their school. To do that, I want to do a deep review of how we are supporting learners. What programs are evidence-based? What are other districts doing that is working? What do parents and students know if needed and effective? I’m particularly concerned about access to early learning assessments, before students start to feel bad about themselves and stop loving school. We need to identify every student’s learning needs and then have the supports in place so that they flourish. I’m also very concerned about mental health, about school culture and how we can reduce isolation and increase connectedness. Our district can lead in this area with a district-wide mental health strategy.

Danielle Connelly: One of the main priorities of a school is to advocate for our students. As a district we need to be advocating for more funding to support additional EA’s, school councillors and supports for students in need.-We need to be looking at earlier intervention so that kids are not reaching high school with challenges that are that much harder to manage-Improved communications with parents / caregivers. Time after time I hear from parents that they just do not know how or where to get the supports they need for their child. Every year is another struggle, records don’t seem to go along with the child and needs just are not being met. -Working to implement MyEducation BC in the district (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/myeducation-bc) which was developed to provide secure access to a single education record for students. Teachers, students and parents can use features in MyEducation BC to collaborate and plan a more personalized learning experience for students.- Supporting and encouraging mental health literacy through programs like the UBC supported “Bringing Mental Health to Schools” online curriculum resource.

8. Arts and music programs are typically the first to be slashed, and yet science supports that they are some of the most critical for cross curricular learning. How will you protect and expand these programs?

Anita Ansari: Middle school music programs have been slowly been chipped away in the past. I view arts and music programs as vital to the mental well-being of students in our district weathering through the current socio-political landscape that we all are on the edge of. I want to bring back these programs not just as a so-called luxury, but as a tool vital to keep our children mentally and emotionally healthy. I would argue vociferously against cuts and bring back support to these programs through the budget.

Dee Beattie: We could look at partnerships with outside sources to expand arts into all areas of learning. Students with all needs flourish when given the opportunity to succeed and the arts is one area many students succeed. Teachers could use in-service or guest lectures to help bring arts into the lessons. Alejandro Diaz: Traditionally our school system and us parents are very focused on academic and competitiveness on sports but often we don’t see the value on arts over math, English, chemistry, etc. Art classes allow students to exercise their motor skills, language development, decision making, cultural awareness, has been shown to assist with overall mental health. We must work with superintendent or director of instruction to have one person in charge of Arts programs so they could work on different strategies such as Artist in Residence. Alternatively partnering with centres such as the Anvil Centre could also be an amazing resource.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: Building partnerships with local community organizations or institutions (such as ACNW, Douglas Col- lege and Emily Carr) is worth exploring to expand arts and music programs for students both within and outside our schools. Protecting these programs could be done through setting minimum, annual budget allocations and increasing communication with music and art teachers on what supports they require. Additionally, working with the city to advocate for our public facilities to be free of charge for students and staff (i.e. Massey Theatre, Anvil Centre and Gallery QP).

Mark Gifford: A key component of my campaign platform is the strengthening of arts education in New Westminster Schools, and can be found at https://www.markgifford.ca/amping_up_arts An Arts & Culture Strategy for the district would help to integrate arts education across the curriculum, and enhance resources available to create inclusive, equitable and

sustainable K-12 access to music, dance, drama and visual arts. The arts are at the heart of the redesigned curriculum, and helping teachers and students understand their value in building core competencies will be important.

Lisa Graham: The Arts are indeed synonomous with Education. Be it directly or indirectly, the prolific impact of the Arts on Education is that it influences every aspect of learning.Because Art and art-experience (visual, auditory, or performing arts) is critical to promoting fully developed brain function, it is important to have a purposed and proactive strategy to implement the delivery of Arts education in New Westminster schools. From a practical viewpoint, at the Board table, we need to align a twenty-first century learning mandate (to marry Arts and Technology) with an internal Arts strategy but it has to move beyond the concept stage to know what kinds of supports we can give staff; we first need to nail down some basics. I look forward to a new board having that discussion. At the high school, we have a dedicated Arts Department and Department Head role that addresses issues of budget allotment, resources, as well as development and delivery of programming. And district-wide, what a gift we give all of our students, learning and sharing culture, when our ab/ed staff conduct aboriginal art lessons with our students. **Perhaps what we should be looking at is expanding the 'Arts Department' CONCEPT so that, assuming a district-wide approach, it would address the diversity of the k-12 Arts curricula with a more comprehensive mandate. Without question, it would be an ideal topic for discussion at pro-D Day forums. Speaking from first- hand experience as a former trustee with a daughter who was actively immersed in the Arts program- ming at the high school, I can tell you that we have an outstanding cohort of staff whose professional- ism and commitment to their students is more than impressive. I am fully confident that a cross-cohort of district staff could draft and implement programming that would enhance Arts transitioning from one level of schooling to the next, and strengthen the positive impact that the Arts contribute to the lives of all our students. To protect and expand Arts programming, it would also be smart strategy to foster greater ties with the New Westminster Arts Council members: by creating a directory/catalogue of artisans who would be willing to collaborate with teachers, we could develop an added resource for teachers to give them greater options for augmenting the delivery of classroom/program lessons. I fully believe that the first such School/Arts-Council pilot project would help to expand Arts programming by paving the way for future and more diverse collaborative opportunities. This kind of approach would (1) benefit students, (2) add to the resumes of our local artisans, and (3) strengthen community-ties. The products/productions of this kind of joint-effort could be show-cased/displayed at our schools (we could do a circuit so that all schools would be included); and of

course, other public venues like local galleries or City Hall would also be ideal locations to host exhibits. When you think about it, what a unique way to not only "build community" but also "beautify" it too!

Scott McIntosh: I feel we need to look outside the box. Music instrument donations program. Maybe a same rental to pay for new instruments. Bring in the filming industry to help fund programs. The filming industry be brought in and show the jobs and give to the students and it will pay forward in the future.

Cyrus Sy: A well rounded education that combines the academics and the arts is critical for students to succeed and thrive in a 21st century economy. I would seek the creation of a comprehensive arts strategy and vision that holds the district accountable for delivering on a mandatory arts education in consultation with key stakeholders in the arts community, council, city and community, parents and students. The purpose of the strategy would be to hold the district accountable in ensuring delivery of arts education by a) guiding budget priorities, 2) setting out guidelines for supporting curriculum and professional development 3) support arts program design and delivery.

Lisa Falbo: Professional development in the arts should be accessible for all our educators in order to enhance the support of our arts education goals. We want to encourage expansion and creation of new innovative programs for diverse learners that support the universal design for learning the new curriculum. Cross-pollination of the educational streams would enhance the ability for educators to focus elements of the arts in their respective disciplines. Media arts, Visual Arts, Drama, they are all enhanced by technology and there is so much more to explore. We need to work closely with the New Westminster Arts Council and the City. Maya Russell: In the emerging, creative economy, creativity and the arts are not a frill, they are essential. I want every student to receive great arts education and access flourishing music, drama and visual art programs in middle and high schools. We have relied on the dedication of teachers and parent fundraising to keep these programs going, and they really need and deserve more core support. Art and music programs need great facilities, with access to practice and performing space; art can be integrated into the classrooms at all levels, we need to fund artists and art educators in our schools, and we need to incorporate diverse artistic traditions, not just euro-centric ones.

Danielle Connelly: I am going to start this answer with a similar theme … communications. We need to be going straight to teachers, staff, parents and community stakeholders to begin to develop a comprehensive arts education strategy for our district. I

see New Westminster as having an opportunity to be a leader in the province, we have the expertise and we have the desire, now we need to facilitate the discussion and ensure we have a comprehensive plan in place.- We also need to be advocating for improved funding for all programming and the arts is

no exception. - We are at an exciting time with the introduction of the new curriculum in British

Columbia, now is the time to but the building blocks in place to ensure arts programming is supported and nurtured.

9. There are many High School students who are not able to get into the courses they need to ensure they get into University. Universities do not recognize many of the elective courses that are offered at NWSS. How would you advocate for high school students to get into courses they need to graduate and go directly to University, without having to take extra online courses?

Anita Ansari: Career planning in the early high school years, to plot out what courses are necessary for students’ graduation needs going forward. This might mean adding more counselling support as well as better Planning 10 education in the high school. It might also involved reaching out to other educational bodies, like Douglas College, as well as to other districts to figure out an exchange program when specific credits, not available to our district, are required.

Dee Beattie: We need to look at what is offered for courses and make sure the planning is done well in advance. The challenges to New Westminster can be tough as we have a large dynamic of unique needs and offering something for everyone can be problematic. A closer look may shine light on solutions; I think this can be done with discussion with teachers. Alejandro Diaz:Too many students are graduating from secondary school without a real, clear path to success University. Large percentage of students are graduating from high school without ever taking any sort of career assessment/aptitude test. A traditional four year-degree is not for everyone, and trade school could offer a pretty compelling careers path. We need to offer a college preparatory curriculum and make sure that at beginning of secondary school, our students understand academic courses that are required by College or Universities, so they can be successful.

Gurveen Dhaliwal: For this question, I would need further information to fully understand the specifics of this situation, every student should be able to get into the courses that are required for graduation and it is unacceptable if that’s not already the case. Based on my research of undergrad admissions requirements for post-secondary institutions in the lower mainland, English 11 and 12 is mandatory throughout and depending on the program it can go as specific as certain science and math requirements. Universities out of province and country may be more specific. Having said that, I would advocate for stronger sup- ports with course planning at grade10 so students can plan their final two years accordingly and so the district is prepared to address projected class enrollments.

In case of influx and full classes or students changing their minds, I would advocate for the district to increase flexible options (virtual, night or sum- mer) so every student is afforded the opportunity to fulfill graduation and application requirements.

Mark Gifford: As a starting point, students need better opportunities to communicate concerns, whether it be about the availability of specific courses or other issues. The capacity for authentic, meaningful engagement needs to exist at the school level, which in turn can support the ability of student trustees to help identify priorities at the Board table. It is a work-in-progress, but the District is taking significant steps to increase student voice in planning and decision-making at school and Board level. Student choice/demand for electives drives course offerings in Grade 11 and 12. It is important for students to find the right counsel, at the right time, to find the right courses that will support their pathway to graduation and pursuit of specific university programs. Distributed Learning courses have become more popular in recent years for their flexibility, but students still need to be able to find the options they need in classrooms. Some upstream steps: - Identify trends in supply and demand for key courses, and plan and assign teaching resources accordingly - Ensure students and parents understand course selection requirements for entrance to range of postsecondary programs that reflect their interests - Ensure counselors and senior staff are able to map out a graduation plan with each student prior to the end of Grade 10 - Receive annual student feedback report that, among other things, identifies opportunities for expanded coursework.

Lisa Graham: This was the second 'on-the-spot' question I answered, ... my response: I believe that students have a personal responsibility to choose their courses based on what best suits their end-objective (in this ex- ample, its university). That said, the District has an equal responsibility to inform students about which courses have assigned university transfer credit, and which simply count as credit toward high school graduation. To illustrate the distinction between the two streams prior to transitioning to the high school and choosing upper-level electives, I suggested that grade eight would be an ideal time to address this issue. That way, students would be mindful about their decisions and would purpose to choose courses appropriate to their future needs. I would like to add that I think that mandatory participation should be required for these information sessions. Moreover, because the grade eight mindset is vastly different from that of a senior-level student, and because universities focus on grade eleven and twelve transcript credits,

prior to choosing those grade eleven and twelve electives, it would be prudent to host a mandatory-participation 'refresher' session for grade ten students. Certainly that answer satisfies the context of the question as it is written but, **in conversation with one of the high school students who were in attendance at the DPAC question-and-answer forum, I learned that the intent of the question was to address an existing internal challenge whereby limited access to in-school/university-transfer courses forced some students to pursue those courses on-line. Frankly, I was alarmed to hear such news. As a school-focused parent, not so far-removed from the graduation/transcript experience, I can tell you with certainty, that was never an issue for my daughter's cohort, ... that it is happening now is unacceptable and requires immediate correction. I was very impressed with the young lady I was speaking with and commended her for raising the issue -- as she said, fixing it will be too late for her graduation year but it will help future graduating classes. In the future, whether I am on the new board or not, so that the graduation-requirement needs of our students are met, I would fully expect the new board to give this issue priority attention.

Scott McIntosh: A grade eight assembly to be held for students and parents to explain what is needed for University and explain how the school counsellors are there to support them. I also feel that we need to look at schools being used all year around and offering the courses in high demand. This may even help with the portable problems.

Cyrus Sy: If high school students are not able to get into the courses they need to graduate, or have difficulty in meeting their graduation requirements we need to investigate this. I would support strong student representation on the school board itself so the Board can have a better understanding of the impact of decisions being made. I would also advocate for stronger collaboration between the district and post-secondary institutions to look for ways to offer the needed courses, and to also develop elective course options that can count towards graduation.

Lisa Falbo:First we need to review as to why this is happening. This is not preparing our children for the future and a comprehensive review on the recommendations of deleting or adding elective courses may need to be done. I have been hearing from many high school students that they were unable to get into university and had to obtain online courses which took them out of the district. This means the current School Board has failed our children. I propose an immediate review and funding for upgrading our resources. We will need to advocate for stronger collaboration between the district and post-secondary institutions.

Maya Russell: Grades 11 and 12 are stressful enough, without adding course problems onto them. Courses needed for graduation are a priority. It’s also very important to expand trades and technology and apprenticeship programs so that students are encouraged to get into skilled trades. No BC student should be graduating without skills to go on and work in a coffee shop. There is a huge deficit in skilled tradespeople and other skilled workers including in healthcare and education, and we need to make it easier and more affordable for students to get those skills.

Danielle Connelly: - We spoke about this at the NWSS PAC meeting and many parents are

feeling very under informed themselves and have concerns about the lack of information for students.

- Better orientation for students - Advocating for funding to enable the hiring of more guidance counsellors

and in-school supports for students - Better communication with families and information about the steps to

graduate and go to post secondary or trades. - At the DPAC event, many students were there and open to discussing and

sharing their concerns and frustrations. We need to be encouraging this type of engagement and student representation at the school board would be a good place to start.