ADULT EDUCATION
The Vancouver School Board hosts a forum on adult education June 20 to examine the impact of provincial government changes to the "education guarantee." The guarantee offers free upgrading and continuing education courses to adults who've graduated from school, as well as the standard curriculum for non-graduated students and those under 19.
In early May, the Ministry of Education said it would continue to fund only academic upgrading and literacy courses for adult graduates from school. In a May 25 story on the subject, Courier contributing writer Jonny Wakefield noted that education minister George Abbott told the legislature on May 9 that the province's focus would be on "vital" subject areas like English, math, and science. Students who have not graduated from high school would not be affected.
Vancouver School Board associate superintendent Maureen Ciarniello indicated in a May 11 report the changes apply to adult education and distributed learning, which includes the Vancouver Learning Network-secondary. The changes are being introduced in two phases-Sept. 30 this year and Sept. 30, 2013.
Ciarniello's report noted the district expects there will be decreased enrolment in courses that will now have a tuition fee attached and that a decrease in enrolment would mean some courses would be cancelled due to insufficient numbers. She also mentioned revenue loss would be partly offset by reduction in salary and benefits to instructors of those courses, and that reduction in overall enrolment in courses would mean that costs of salary and benefits would be higher proportionately than the revenue collected.
In terms of the Vancouver Learning Network, the district will lose 25 per cent of its funding for every student that doesn't complete a course, she reported. An updated staff report on adult education is expected in the fall.
The June 20 public forum runs from 7 to 8: 30 p.m. at the board office, 1580 West Broadway.
John Crowe, the district's former acting associate superintendent of continuing and international education, is returning from retirement to run the forum. Among those expected to attend will be trustees, district staff, teachers, students and adult education administrators.
District spokesman Kurt Heinrich said organizers hope elected representatives from the City of Vancouver, the provincial government and the federal government will attend.
"We've sent invitations out to the mayor, all councillors, MLAs and MPs in Vancouver," he told the Courier.
Board chair Patti Bacchus said the purpose of the forum is to collect feedback from those affected.
"The input that we hear will allow the board to make recommendations to the government in an advocacy role [such as] if there's a particular impact on particular courses that we feel funding should be reinstated in terms of courses for graduated adults," she said.
TEACHER DISPUTE
The ongoing saga between teachers, their employer (the B.C. Public School Employers' Association) and the government shows few signs of being resolved anytime soon.
It's unclear when the Labour Relations Board will rule on whether the teachers' decision to withdraw from volunteer extracurricular activities counts as an illegal strike.
B.C. Teachers' Federation president Susan Lambert told the Courier Tuesday morning it's possible a decision could come down this week, but she doesn't expect one until next week.
"This is a very significant decision, it's not something the LRB vice-chair should take very lightly-it's a possible Charter violation," she said.
The BCTF's court challenge of the appointment of Charles Jago as mediator starts Thursday. It's scheduled for two days. Lambert isn't sure when that matter will be decided either.
"Your guess is as good as mine," she said.
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