藤兒點評：VSB「缺錢」，校董們一舉否決了2016-2017的balanced budget，他們至今都還陶醉於VSB校董事會的集體創造力（in a buzz of collective creativity）！

你現在有答案了! 這也是集體創作，由贊成票加否決票的製作方法——互補性的練習（an exercise in complementarity）。每個參與者，根據她或他的興趣、好奇心，靠這人才濟濟建立這個個集體投票項目，抓住了這個機會，創造出一個否決結果，卻無法預知今後的影響。那些更具詩意的共同努力，編造充滿了象徵意義或選擇來說明自己的投票都是為了孩子們如同美麗電影旁白。沒有令人欽佩的土著語口語字幕的內容出現在校董會會議上，當然見不到令人瞠目結舌的原住民區的照片和日出。因為土著語的發音複雜，難以提供移動字幕旁白。所有這一切都沒有提及是否有土著學生和家長們分享他們的知識和生活經驗的校董們的基本參與，誰幫他們翻譯土著字幕的材料。

這種校董事會集體的，鼓舞人心，令人欽佩的投票過程導致，只是解決balanced budget與學生需求之間的平衡關係的複雜方式。與此同時，並未強調投票結果可以作為土著學生的學習源泉，並通過視覺和象徵性的元素，針對全體在校學生、學校環境、男性女性和變性人兒童青少年的過去和未來之間關係的取得最大的平衡。VSB校董們的投票過程的結果讓位於這一切就說明問題。這次投票還為所有師生失去了重新創建學校未來的絕佳機會。

VSB校董們不鼓勵年輕人參與等於瞎子摸象。這個學校的社區證明了不支持年輕的參與者的投票創作過程中的重要意義和學生家庭的持續關注。投票房間裡的能量，當校董們離開了之後確信他們會回來，明年還要繼續與您們分享這個令人難以置信的balanced budget投票項目的冒險！

VSB「缺錢」，校董們首先需要的是接受培訓，學會協調和研究，以及建立對抗BC省政府的後援團隊。

各位看官，現在不明白沒事兒。再過100年你們就會明白的。

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來源：星島日報 2016年5月01日

溫哥華教局否決預算案 學委恐全體失業

不滿大削支 關校裁職工

溫市教育局周四晚上否決一份擬在下財政年度，削減開支2,400萬元的平衡預算案，但據卑詩省法例規定，教育局必須通過平衡預算案，否則違法。教育廳長伯尼爾(Mike  Bernier)隨即發表聲明，表示對溫市教育局的決定感到失望。

較早時，溫市教育局為應對下年度2,400萬元財政短缺，已計劃裁減教職員及取消一些科目和課程，但遭到部分學務委員及許多家長的強烈反對。

偉景及綠黨5學委投反對票

溫市教育局9位學委周四晚上在溫東格拉德斯通(Gladstone)中學舉行會議，並隨即投票，結果以5：4否決該份削支預算案。其中4位偉景溫哥華學委，以及1位綠黨學委，總共5人投下反對票，而4位無黨派協會(NPA)學委，則投下贊成票。

在投票前公布的一項Insights  West民調結果顯示，64%溫市受訪者反對教育局關閉學校，或者刪減科目或課程來節省開支。此外，73%受訪者認為，當局不應要求家長直接或通過籌款活動，來負擔部分基本教育開支。

不合作學委全體「炒魷」 早有前科

溫市中學教員協會主席布朗(Rory  Brown)表示：「溫哥華市民不能接受省府的解釋，指溫市教育局經費短缺是教育局本身的財政管理問題，而不是省政府的責任，省府這種態度就是對學生不負責任的表現。」

值得注意的是，早在2012年，溫哥華島高域鎮河谷(Cowichan  Valley)教育局也曾堅持通過一份赤字預算案，導致省府開除該教育局的全部學務委員。

學委稱經費短缺已難容忍

專家責不能只顧經濟 忽視下一代教育發展

溫市偉景溫哥華(Vision  Vancouver)學委投下反對票，拒絕通過教育局預算案，並指出省府經費短缺情況已經到了臨界點，如果再不表態，未來的情況不堪設想。還有學者指出，卑詩省的經濟發展不能以損害下一代教育為代價。

10年來已削資8,000萬

投下反對票的偉景溫哥華學委黃偉倫周四接受《星島日報》記者訪問時表示，現在如果不出來反對，教育局預算短缺情況會繼續惡化，他說：「省府撥款嚴重不足，過去10年我們不得不削減8,000萬元，而這樣的短缺情況越演越烈，這次已經到了臨界點，如果再不作出表態，未來的情況不堪設想。」

他還說，教育局此前舉辦5場公聽會，包括家長、教職員工等150人出席，多數人都不滿意這個預算案，黃偉倫說：「在我擔任學委的17年中，我是首次看到這麽多人反對一個預算案，這也反映了現在情況的嚴重性。」

他表示：「預算不通過，省府就要想辦法解決，教育廳長可以有多種做法，可以解散全部學委，並指定一人作為特別學委，或是讓這人與我們共同研究出一份平衡預算案，不管怎樣，這都取決於省府。」

促省府挹注教育系統

卑詩大學(UBC)教育系副教授斯塔克(Michelle  Stack)認為，卑詩省的經濟發展，不能以損害下一代教育為代價，她說：「省府過去一直強調要關注經濟發展，但不能長期忽視孩子的教育發展，省府也要實實在在給教育系統撥款，而不是光指望想像中的液化天然氣(LNG)計劃。」

輔導員2年換4人 省府要家長掏腰包

有溫市家長也反對削減教育預算案，表示直接感受經費短缺對學生帶來的負面影響，包括不斷更換學生輔導員令孩子的學習安排、升學輔導都受到影響。她還稱，省府將經費問題轉移到家長身上，不少活動要需要父母自掏腰包。

學習安排升學輔導皆受影響

溫哥華校區家長諮詢委員會(District Parent Advisory  Council)主席孫女士，也支持學委投反對票。她說，女兒中小學都是接受溫市公立教育，她直接感受到經費短缺對學生帶來的負面影響，她指出：「我女兒的輔導員在過去2年就換了4人，因為這個職位一直無法提供足夠的經費，所以流失人手，令學生的學習安排、升學輔導等都受到影響。」

她還指出，省府是把經費問題轉嫁家長身上，她說：「學生的課外活動也是削減得近乎沒有了，就算有，也是我們自掏腰包，這還不算其他的籌款和捐款活動，對家長來說也是很大的經濟負擔。」

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來源：http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/bctf-urges-changes-to-grad-requirements

Changes to grad requirements needed, BCTF says

By Tracy Sherlock

Published on: April 9, 2016 | Last Updated: April 9, 2016 9:20 AM PDT

Teachers would like to students in B.C. to start learning French in kindergarten, to take fine arts and applied skills right up to Grade 11 or 12 and get age-appropriate sexual health education from their first day at school. 

Those are just a few of 29 recommendations that the B.C. Teachers’ Federation is making in a brief to the B.C. Education Ministry during the province’s review of graduation requirements. Students from kindergarten to Grade 9 will be learning a new curriculum next year and Grades 10 through 12 will follow soon after. When the new senior curriculum is introduced, it is expected that new graduation requirements will also be introduced.

“(We’re making) a couple of recommendations that talk to the need to ensure that all secondary students not only have the opportunity, but also have the encouragement to take a broad spectrum of courses as part of their educational experience and not to be streamed just into academics or trades,” said BCTF’s president-elect Glen Hansman. “You’ll also see recommendations pertaining to aboriginal education and a few other equity issues … and there is also a broader thrust to making sure the bar is raised in terms of the number of credits students have to take to graduate, which is lower than it was historically.”

The BCTF is also asking the ministry to delay implementation of the new curriculum, at least for a year. Part of the reason for the request is because the graduation requirements haven’t been announced and it is difficult for secondary schools to adopt new curriculum without knowing what is going to be required for graduation.

The new graduation requirements were expected to be introduced in 2015, Hansman said. The BCTF submitted an earlier brief in 2012, but wanted to update it because so much time has passed. 

The ministry said the new graduation program will be announced “soon” and is in the final stages of development. The ministry said in an emailed statement that it is aware of the BCTF’s request for a slowdown in the process, but that it is still working toward a 2017 adoption date. 

“Students who are 15 and 16 years old are often not mature enough to make wise decisions about their future needs.”

Teachers would like the graduation program to begin in Grade 11, rather than Grade 10 as it does now, saying this would help more vulnerable students graduate, particularly aboriginal students. 

“Students who are 15 and 16 years old are often not mature enough to make wise decisions about their future needs,” the brief states. “Facing barriers to graduation, such as the Science 10 exam, may be enough to convince certain students that school is not for them.” 

Two of the other recommendations are that students have equitable access to electives across the province and ensuring that “Evergreen” graduation certificates are only used for students with designated special needs. The brief also calls for the ministry to make it possible for English language learner students to be able to take more than five years of English instruction. 

In December 2014, the province announced it would stop funding high school courses for adults who had already graduated, or for those who attend post-secondary schools. Instead, students would pay tuition of about $500 a course for those courses. The BCTF brief calls for an end to that. 

“Removing funding for adult learners is short-sighted and further marginalizes those most vulnerable,” the brief states. “We strongly urge government to reverse the discriminating change in funding policy for adult learners and emphasize the need for the ministry to provide quality, publicly funded education, including self-paced programs, to students over the age of 19 completing or upgrading their Grade 12 diploma.”

As part of the curriculum updates, the PE curriculum is being updated as Physical and Health Education, which BCTF says is an “opportunity” to get teachers throughout the province trained to ensure “that all students learn what they need in order to make safe, wise choices — regardless of whether they self-identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.” 

tsherlock@vancouversun.com

twitter: @tsherlock