From time to time, Carnarvon PAC receives emails from the Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education.  When we receive emails, we will post them on this page.

************************************

Tell Your MLA – Funds Needed in Budget 2018 for Public Ed!
Together PAN and FACE created an email campaign to government leaders regarding public ed funding for the February Budget. Please share, amplify and echo PAN and FACE on social media – the more letters to MLAs across BC, the stronger our parent voice!

While the Budget on February 20 will likely contain both legislated funds for class size and composition and capital funds for seismic, there remains great speculation as to whether any tangible new investment and meaningful increase to operating funds for public education will be made. We need public education funding which will match the actual costs of operations to provide all the necessary supports and resources needed to meet the diverse needs of all our children.

Each year the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services makes budget recommendations after extensive public consultation. This year, as in past years, the Committee has made several crucial spending recommendations for public K–12 education. Implementing these recommendations is a necessary step on the path toward a system that equitably provides quality public education in safe schools that are properly equipped to meet the needs of all BC’s children.

Please share the link widely through your parent networks – http://facebc.ca/newyear/
It only takes 1-2 minutes to use our email tool to write to Premier John Horgan, Minister of Education Rob Fleming, Minister of Finance Carole James, the Opposition critics for education (Mary Polak and Dan Davies), the BC Liberal Opposition leader, the leader of the Green Party (Andrew Weaver), the Green Party spokesperson for education (Sonia Furstenau), and your MLA, to tell them you expect your government to prioritize public education in 2018.

The English version of the email tool is here: http://facebc.ca/newyear/

The Chinese information and instructions for the English online tool is below:

新年伊始，是时候想想2月份开始推行的新政府预算了。财政常委和政府服务部门每年都进行广泛的社会调查，并由此做出有关预算的建议。今年和往年一样，常委又就公共K-12教育做了几项关键支出的建议。

为了在安全的校园里提供平等、有质量的公共教育，实施这些建议是走向这一教育系统道路上很有必要的一步，它能很好地满足BC省孩子们的上学需求。

请花一点点的时间，用我们的EMAIL工具写信给以下这些政府人员：

1） John Horgan – Premier
2） Rob Fleming – Minister of Education
3） Carole James – Minister of Finance
4） Mary Polak & Dan Davies – Opposition critics for education
5） Rich Coleman – BC Liberal Opposition leader
6） Andrew Weaver – Green Party leader
7） Sonia Furstenau – Green Party 教育事务发言人
8） MLA

告诉他们，你们希望政府在2018年能优先安排公共教育的相关事务。

非常简单快捷：点击一个小程序即可发送邮件，填写以下表格并点击“Create Email”(创建邮件)。邮件就会打开，你所需要做的就是按“Send”(发送)。邮件就会发送给以上列举的政府官员，以及PAN和FACE机构。所发送的邮件也会被统计下来。

在2018年我的期望就是BC省政府的领导们能最终在2月份的预算工作中重新优先安排公共教育事务，实施“选举常务委员会“（Select Standing Committee)关于K-12教育的财政预算建议。把这些建议落实到位，将有助于确保BC省在2018年以及将来为所有本省的孩子们提供有质量的、平等的公共教育。

Public Ed Funding Model Review – Submissions by Feb 28
In October 2017, government launched a funding model review to fulfill its commitment to ensure B.C.’s K-12 public education system receives stable and predictable funding. The new funding model is anticipated to be in place for the 2019/2020 school year. A summary of the approach and timelines for this initiative can be viewed here.

The co-governors of B.C.’s K-12 public education system, the Province and the B.C. School Trustees Association, will work together to develop a set of shared principles for the future funding model and establish a solid foundation for moving forward. Based on the shared principles, Ministry staff, in collaboration with the Technical Review Committee, will gather feedback from sector stakeholders, undertake research on possible models, and develop initial options for consideration.
A panel of K-12 sector representatives and independent experts will be selected by the Minister and announced this winter. The panel will review and validate the options, further consult with stakeholders (including BCCPAC), engage Ministry staff and the Technical Review Committee to ensure testing of the model, and develop a final report and recommendations for government to consider.
As this review is technical in nature, the engagement will primarily focus on K-12 sector stakeholders including Boards of Education, partner organizations, and school district management staff. That said, stakeholders, of which parents, PACs, DPACs are a key group, have an opportunity to provide input into the funding model review. There is no standard format or template to follow. Be sure to outline your views on the greatest challenges/barriers in the current funding model as well as any improvements you would like to see in the future, together with those elements that are working well and should be retained if any.
Written submissions or questions about the funding model review can be sent to: k12fundingreview@gov.bc.ca

Parent Advocacy Groups Meet Premier Together
Parent advocacy continues and grassroots parent groups are working together now more than ever. On December 1, 2017, six parent advocacy groups–BCEdAccess, Nanaimo Parents Supporting Public Education, Parent Advocacy Network (incl FACE), Richmond Schools Stand United, Seismic Safety For BC Schools, Surrey Students Now—met with BC Premier John Horgan and Minister of Education Rob Fleming. The representatives of these six groups spoke with Premier Horgan and Minister Fleming about some key issues facing the public education system. Together, the parent representatives made six recommendations to the government.

Read our recommendations and full document.

PAN Again Presents to the Select Standing Committee
In October, during the public input sessions, PAN made our third annual presentation to the Legislative Finance Committee (Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services) highlighting public education funding needs for BC Budget 2018.

In it, we called on government to fulfill its commitment to British Columbians:
1. To affordability – through a fully funded quality public education system that is accessible to all children, not just those whose families can afford to subsidize it.
2. To dependability – so that every child can attend a fully resourced neighbourhood school no matter where they live.
3. To a broad-based economy – by providing a public education that has the breadth and quality needed to support a strong, innovative economy so all children have equal opportunity to reach their individual potential.
4. To funding the human resources necessary to support the delivery and integration of first nations curriculum and culture into schools.

Read our full report here. You can also read submissions by other advocates and education partners.

Remember to Update Us!
Please remember to help us continue to connect with you by letting us know your current contact details. You can send us an email anytime with updates. We look forward to hearing from you!

www.panvancouver.ca
www.facebook.com/panvancouver
PAN Vancouver@PAN_Vancouver

© 2018 Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education. All rights reserved. Parent Advocacy Network is non-partisan;
we do not endorse, and are not affiliated with any particular stakeholder group, political party or individual