Rural Education Back On The Radar

In BC, 32% of students attending the public school system do so in communities outside Victoria, the Lower Mainland and Kelowna areas. Last Fall, the previous government launched the Rural Education Strategy with an eye to ultimately looking at a review of the funding formula. Consultation took place in nine different BC communities, including Prince George. But the final report was never released prior to the change in government. School Trustees and Superintendents were in Vancouver last week and urged government not to scrap the report, which Trustee Trish Bella says was created by the communities. “The community was asked to come out and talk about what do they see as possible ways that we can enhance the education in our more rural and remote areas,” explains Bella. “And what do you want to see with the students in those areas?” And, following those meetings last week, they were given assurances the information and raw data in that final report will be considered in future decision-making. “During our meeting on Thursday with the Board Chairs meeting, part of the work was to come up with pieces we found very important for the Committee that is going to be doing this review along with the guiding principles. And the feedback to that, I believe, has to be back in for November the 6th.” Bella says the Trustees Association has also asked government to release the original Rural Education Strategy to the public.