By Times Chronicle Staff
The following are highlights from the Nov. 21 meeting of School District No. 53.
New strategic plan
The School District No. 53 board is developing a new strategic plan to set the district’s direction for the next 10 years.
Multiple ways are being devised to allow staff, students, parents, and rights holders to provide feedback in the coming weeks.
The board hopes to unveil the plan by spring break of 2023. Visit the website at sd53.bc.ca to complete a survey.
Schools Take-A-Risk
After a three-year pause, the district is bringing back the Take-A-Risk grants.
These grants are open to all teachers trying new approaches in their classrooms to increase student success.
Funds of up to $1,000 are available under the program. For example, a previous grant for Southern Okanagan Secondary School saw art students involved in drum making with the help of Indigenous elders.
Mental health support
The district has received $55,000 from the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support the mental health and well-being of students, families, and educators.
This grant supports districts in their work to ensure planned activities are culturally safe and meet the needs of Indigenous children and youth.
Examples of planned uses include strategies for student self-regulation, and how to bolster attachment between students and adults.
Give me some ‘Spaces’
The district is introducing a new digital communication platform called SpacesEDU.
It will provide a tool to enable continuous reporting throughout the district, designed to document day-by-day learning in schools and showcase classroom learning. Students can be messaged directly using this platform and teachers can comment on student work in real-time.
Financial statement
Total revenue for the four months ended Oct. 31 was $6.63 million. Total expenses for the same period was $7.75 million, resulting in a deficit of $1.12 million.
Superintendent of Schools Bev Young said this deficit will reverse itself as the district receives larger portions of annual funding as the school year progresses.
Staff remuneration
The board released its Statement of Financial Information that outlines what trustees and teachers/principals make each year.
Trustees earn from $11,000 to $14,000, plus expenses. For the fiscal year ending June 30, the total remuneration for trustees was approximately $84,000, plus $11,000 in expenses.
The board discloses the remuneration made by teachers and principals who earn more than $75,000 per year.
Principals and vice-principals earn from $125,000 to $143,000, while teachers earn from $76,000 to $100,000.
Senior managers for the district earn from $150,000 to $180,000.
The total for employees whose remuneration exceeds $75,000 is $13.2 million. The total for those earning less than $75,000 per year is $11.5 million. The consolidated total is $24.7 million.
Wellness grants for OSS
Osoyoos Secondary Principal Scott Tremblay reported the school was awarded two wellness grants through the district.
One grant is for the purchase of snowshoes and yoga mats, and the other one is for mood-regulating lamps.
“These items will help provide more opportunities to improve health and wellness at OSS,” Tremblay said.
