Public School Boards’ Association of President’s Report

2015 Annual General Meeting

President, Arlene Hrynyk President’s Report

Dear Colleagues,

It has been an honour and an even greater privilege to serve you, our Members, over the past two years. Trusteeship has never been as engaging as it has been over the past while with the numerous changes in Public School Education. Your work, and that which I perform on your behalf, continues to require our advocacy at every level to ensure those whom we, as locally elected stewards in Education serve, are bringing forward the unheard and important voice of all children in this Province.

The following report is submitted to you with details of my work over the past year as per the direction of our Members through the 2013-2015 Work Plan.

Priority One: Support and Improve Public Education

Growing a greater understanding of, and support for Public School Education is the premise of absolutely every engagement and conversation I undertake on your behalf. I have witnessed a stronger understanding and support for the difference between Publicly Funded and Public Education, and remain focused on enhancing this work in conjunction with you, our Members. I continue to hear praise and respect for our tireless efforts in shaping the future of Public School Education, and for our “children first” approach to each and every decision we make. Your efforts to reach, teach, support and celebrate each and every student serve as the fundamental difference between ourselves and other publicly funded systems; our doors are truly open to all. It is the work of you, our Members, who showed leadership during the Bill 10 debate and have developed standalone policies on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and it is you, our Members who are praised publically for leading in this important work.

In January 2015, the Executive Committee met over a period of three days to reflect upon the work of the past year, to establish outcomes for the Association’s Strategic Communications Plan and to define the Executive Committee Goal for the 2015 Fiscal Year.

The Strategic Communications Plan is anchored in one of the fundamental beliefs that our Association and your Executive Committee shares in each and every conversation we have regarding Alberta’s Public Education System - that Public Schools are the FIRST CHOICE of our communities, where all of our children learn and live the values of democracy together, reflecting our hope and shaping the future of our communities. The rich and robust conversations from the February 2015, April 2015 and August 2015 meetings of the Public School Boards Council also informed the Association’s Strategic Communications Plan.

One such example was the Provincial Education Budget Communication strategy that the Council defined in April 2015 and our Members supported during the provincial election campaign. In each of your communities, you shared the story of how the proposed Education Budget would directly impact the learning and lives of the children within your care. As Locally Elected Public School Trustees you stood tall and sent a clear message that you would not allow the proposed Education Budget to be passed on your watch. Your voices defined our Association’s communication strategy, your wisdom shaped the conversations in communities across Alberta and your leadership made a significant difference in the lives of Alberta’s children.

The Executive Committee goal is also aligned with our Association’s fundamental beliefs, it is:

“To grow a greater understanding of and support for the difference between Public School Education and Publicly Funded Education”.

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Over this past year, in every meeting and conversation with provincial candidates, Cabinet Ministers, Members of the Legislative Assembly and Education Partners, I have furthered the work and profile of our Members and Association, by taking the time to share the fundamental difference between Public Education and Publicly Funded Education in Alberta. I believe that these conversations have enabled people to have a better understanding of Education in a province where the Government currently enables access to four fully Publicly Funded systems – Public Education, Separate Education, Francophone Education and Charter Schools. In addition, I have brought to the attention of previous Government Ministers and MLAs as well as our current Ministers and MLAs, that public dollars should not be funding Private Education. Strengthening the funding of Public School Education enables you, our Members, to provide even greater choice than you currently offer all students. I articulate how the fragmentation of Education reduces choice and ultimately hinders opportunities for all children.

The summary which follows is a sample of the meetings and conversations I have undertaken, on your behalf, over the past year.

Provincial Election Candidates:  ;  Colin Piquette;  Premier (former);  ;  Chris LaBossiere;  Stephan Khan;  Chris Noble;  Katherine Swampy;  Travis Olsen;  Robin Campbell;  Craig Copeland; and  Don Scott.

Throne Speech Conversations with:  Premier ;  Hon. , Minister of Justice and Solicitor General & Minister of Aboriginal Relations;  Hon. , Minister of Finance & President of Treasury Board;  Hon. Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, Minister of Energy;  Hon. , Minister of Municipal Affairs & Minister of Service Alberta;  Hon. , Minister of Education & Minister of Culture and Tourism;  Hon. , Minister of Agriculture and Forestry;  Hon. Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health & Minister of Seniors;  Hon. , Minister of Infrastructure & Minister of Transportation;  Hon. , Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education & Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour;  Hon. , Minister of Environment and Parks & Minister Responsible for the Status of Women;  Hon. Robert Wanner, Speaker;  MLA Colin Piquette, Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater;  MLA , -Currie;  MLA Robyn Luff, Calgary-East;

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 MLA Anam Kazim, Calgary-Glenmore;  MLA Karen McPherson, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill;  MLA , -Castle Downs;  MLA Heather Sweet, Edmonton-Manning;  MLA , Edmonton-McClung;  MLA Denise Woollard, Edmonton-Mill Creek;  MLA , Edmonton-Mill Woods;  MLA , Leduc-Beaumont;  MLA , Lesser Slave Lake;  MLA Kim Schreiner, Red Deer-North;  MLA Barb Miller, Red Deer-South;  MLA Annie McKitrick, Sherwood Park;  MLA Trevor Horne, Spruce Grove-St. Albert;  MLA , St. Albert;  MLA Erin Babcock, Stony Plain;  MLA Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Strathcona-Sherwood Park; and  MLA Eric Rosendahl, West Yellowhead.

Official Opposition:  MLA Brian Michael Jean, Official Opposition Leader;  MLA , Cypress-Medicine Hat;  MLA Mark Smith, Drayton Valley-Devon;  MLA Rick Strankman, Drumheller-Stettler;  MLA David B. Hanson, Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills; and  MLA Derek Fildebrandt, Strathmore-Brooks.

Progressive Conservative Party:  MLA Ric McIver, Progressive Conservative Leader;  MLA , Calgary-Fish Creek;  MLA Manmeet S. Bhullar, Calgary-Greenway;  MLA , Calgary-Lougheed;  MLA , Calgary-North West;  MLA Mike Ellis Calgary-West;  MLA , Grande Prairie-Wapiti; and  MLA , Vermilion-.

Alberta Liberal Party:  MLA , Alberta Liberal Leader.

Alberta Party:  MLA Greg Clarke, Leader.

Meetings with Government Members:  Hon. Marg McCuaig-Boyd, Minister of Energy;  Hon. Kathleen Ganley, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General & Minister of Aboriginal Relations;  Hon. Ifran Sabir, Minister of Human Services;  Hon. Joe Ceci, Minister of Finance & President of Treasury Board;

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 Hon. Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry;  Hon. Lori Sigurdson, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education & Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour;  MLA Erin Babcock, Stony Plain;  MLA David Shepherd, Edmonton-Centre;  MLA Annie McKitrick, Sherwood Park;  MLA Marie Renaud, St. Albert;  MLA Barb Miller, Red Deer-South;  MLA Kim Schreiner, Red Deer-North;  MLA Denise Woollard, Edmonton-Mill Creek;  MLA , Edmonton-Ellerslie;  MLA Lorne Dach, Edmonton-McClung;  MLA Christina Gray, Edmonton-Mill Woods;  MLA Karen McPherson, Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill;  MLA Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Strathcona-Sherwood Park;  MLA Mark Smith, Drayton Valley-Devon;  MLA , Calgary-South East;  MLA David Swann, Calgary-Mountain View;  MLA Greg Clark, Calgary-Elbow; and  Former Minister of Education, Gordon Dirks.

Meetings Education Partners:  Alberta School Boards Association, Board of Directors Meetings;  Deputy Minister’s Dialogue on Transforming Teaching Practice;  Dr. Sangita Sharma, Centennial Professor in Aboriginal and Global Health;  Gareth Thomson, Alberta Council for Environmental Education;  Mark Ramsanker, President, Alberta Teachers Association;  Meeting with the Alberta Teachers’ Association Table Officers; and  Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities Waffle Breakfast.

Events and Conferences:  Alberta School Boards Association Fall and Spring General Meetings;  Alberta School Councils Conference;  Alberta Teachers Association Annual Representatives Assembly;  Annual Mayor's Brunch for Camp fYreFly;  CASS/AB Education Conference;  Association of School Business Officials of Alberta Conference;  Pan Canadian Summit on the Teaching Profession;  International Symposium in the Teaching Profession;  Progressive Conservative Leaders' Dinner;  Rural Education Symposium; and  Swearing in Ceremony for Cabinet.

Speeches from the Throne:  17 November 2014; and  15 June 2015.

Provincial Budget Presentation:  26 March 2015.

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Priority Two: Support and Improve Local Governance

Over the past two years, you have heard me speak about a Vision for shared leadership amongst the Four Trustee Associations. In January of 2014 I shared this vision at the meeting we initiated with the Four Trustee Associations, and during our April 2014 meeting I shared with you, our Members, my vision which was subsequently sent to you in a letter. It offered the following comments:

“What if provincial issues were filtered through the three Associations – PSBAA, ACSTA and FCSFA – with the clear purpose of seeking a position on the issue and directing that position back to the umbrella organization of ASBA? Would this allow for a stronger position and more nimble process for all school boards? Would this model be respectful of our resources? Could having the ACSTA, FCSFA and PSBAA as active participants on the ASBA Board of Directors be more beneficial than the current structure of Observers only? Would this enhance our voices for all of our children?”

I continue to believe that if we are to grow Albertans’ appreciation for, understanding about and unwavering support of local governance, then we must model that which we value – generative governance that reflects the values of the communities that we serve. We must also engage in collaborative partnerships focused on that which is in the best interests of ALL children. In the absence of our leadership as Trustees and Trustee Associations, others will continue to question the value of Locally Elected Boards.

In the spirit of sharing and growing that Vision, I and Members of your Executive Committee, met with representatives from the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association, the Fédération des Conseils Scolaires Francophones de l'Alberta and the Alberta School Boards Association on 21 November 2014, 29 January 2015 and 13 April 2015. Our Association was delighted to serve as hosts for the January 2015 and April 2015 Meetings.

Following each Four Partners Meeting, you received a copy of a letter summarizing the items discussed by the parties in attendance. Additionally, at each Council Meeting, I provided a detailed report regarding my attendance as an Observer at the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA), Board of Directors’ Meetings. In June of 2015, I was invited to respond to some questions at the ASBA Board of Directors video conference meeting regarding this work, and myself along with the Executive Committee attended this meeting to grow this important conversation and path forward.

At the August 2015 meeting of the Public School Boards Council we engaged in a conversation that reflected upon our Association’s efforts to forge a positive and collaborative working relationship amongst the Four Trustee Associations; a relationship that models the value of Trusteeship as well as the critical link between our Elected Trustees and the communities that we serve. It was, I believe, a powerful and important conversation.

Your conversations in August 2015 led this Association to a place where we collectively believe we can inspire and lead the change that we wish to see. The direction from our Members to pursue a change in the ASBA Board of Directors’ structure so that representatives from Zones 7, 8 and 9 are fully engaged Members of the Board is a critical first step. It is a step however, that will require the full, committed and unwavering support of each of our Member Boards. You have my commitment that I will carry the message forward in all of my conversations, however I will need you, our Members to bring that message and proposal for change through each of the Zones of which you are Members.

As Ghandi has told us, we need to “be the change that we wish to see in the world”.

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Priority Three: Support and Improve the Association’s Health and Well Being

One of the highlights for me, each year is the opportunity to travel to each of our Member Boards and meet with you in your jurisdiction. I am very pleased to report that over my term as your President, I have met with every one of our Member Boards! I greatly appreciate the very warm welcomes and marvelous conversations that I have been part of – conversations that have included the challenges and opportunities that each Member Board faces, the unique communities that you serve and programs that you offer; but most importantly our conversations have, without exception, been anchored in doing what is best for the children, families, staff and communities that we serve.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting with a number of Non-Member Boards, some of whom have joined us at many of our events. You have heard me say that while I enjoy the opportunity to speak with others about the great work of our Members and our Association, I need your voices to be part of those conversations. Over the next year, I urge each of you, to reach out to our Public School colleagues – invite them for coffee, chat with them over the phone – encourage them to join us at our Fall Events, Spring General Assembly, Governance Seminars and Council Meetings. Your wisdom and voices are essential to the health and well-being of our Association; your voices are also essential to the health and well-being of Public Education in Alberta.

If we are to continue our successful advocacy work on behalf of children attending Alberta’s Public Schools, then we truly need the voices of ALL children and ALL Public School Boards working in concert – I need your efforts and voices to join me in this work.

Meetings with Member Boards:  Parkland School Division (October 2014);  Prairie Land Regional Division (October 2014);  Golden Hills School Division (October 2014);  Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (November 2014);  Buffalo Trail Public Schools (December 2014);  St. Albert Public Schools (December 2014);  Black Gold Regional Schools (April 2015);  High Prairie School Division (April 2015);  Clearview Public Schools (April 2015);  Chinook’s Edge School Division (April 2015); and  Sturgeon School Division (May 2015).

Meetings with Non-Member Boards:  Peace River School Division (October 2014);  Calgary Board of Education (January 2015);  Elk Island Public Schools (June 2015);  Canadian Rockies Public Schools (June 2015); and  Fort Vermillion Public Schools (September 2015).

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And finally, I want to thank each of you for the work you are performing locally and provincially for your communities and most importantly, our children. As Locally Elected Boards we have an important obligation to those who have entrusted us with doing what is best; using our knowledge and influence to be their voice. We cannot afford to be a part of any problem when there are so many ongoing opportunities for us to shape and inform the solution.

I am proud to serve the wisdom of our Members as your President, and look forward to responding to any questions you may have at our Annual General Meeting.

Sincerely, Arlene

Arlene Hrynyk, President Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta

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