ST. PAUL - The St. Paul Education board of trustees approved a motion to allow administration to proceed with the creation of a summer school, creating more educational opportunities for local students.
Superintendent Peter Barron brought up the topic of summer school during the April 12 school board meeting, saying St. Paul Alternate Education Centre (SPAEC) principal Breana Malcolmson brought the idea forward. In order to explore the possibility of having a summer school in a realistic way, the division needs a school code, which requires a motion by the board.
Barron explained that a potential school would start "modestly," offering a few options to students in the summer months.
Board Chair Sylvie Smyl said the prospect of having a summer school "is super exciting," while trustee Darcy Younghans acknowledged that a summer school could attract students from outside of St. Paul Education, which was a good thing.
Trustee Dwight Wiebe asked what kind of timeline could be expected if a summer school did open, to which Barron noted that it could be as early as this summer, "in a modest way." Barron said he had previously worked as a teacher in a summer school, and was supportive of the opportunity to offer students more choices.
He noted that Phys. Ed. class, for example, is run different when taking it through summer school. Taking part in summer school courses could also result in a lighter workload for students during the regular school year.
He noted that generally, summer school courses are condensed into a few weeks, and could also allow students to focus on specific units, rather than a full course.
"There is some interesting flexibility there," said Barron.
A motion was carried to proceed with getting a school code.
School fees and waivers
Trustees also reviewed school fees proposed by schools within the St. Paul Education division for the 2023/24 school year.
"Most fees are unchanged," said secretary-treasurer Jean Champagne. He noted that increases can be seen in some areas, such as field trip fees, due to increased costs for transportation. Shipping costs have also increased for some items, along with food items, which impacts some CTS classes, for example.
A motion to approve the school fees was carried.
Then the conversation moved to transportation fees, which have not been finalized yet, but for pre-registration Champagne said fees will remain as-is, with a note to parents saying the fees are "under review."
There have been significant changes to funding for transportation, which may have a positive impact on fees, and no increases are projected, said Champagne.
The waiving of school fees for families that cannot afford to pay them was then brought up for discussion. There is an administrative procedure that has a provision for fee waiver, but generally it is a pretty informal process, heard the board.
This year in particular, there have been more waivers than usual. Champagne asked the board if they felt there should be a level of need decided upon, or a more formal process in place. In some school divisions, for example, tax forms are required as proof of income. Right now, the decisions are being made by principals who are more familiar with the families attending their schools.
Trustee Dwight Wiebe said he is hopeful families in need are wiling to reach out when they require fees to be waived, rather than simply leaving the fees unpaid.
In attendance at the board meeting was St. Paul Elementary principal Adrienne Dallaire. She noted that she did not want to see more "hoops" for people in need to jump through, and was hoping there could be a "happy medium" with how waivers are being dealt with.
Trustee Darcy Younghans said he did not want the process to be too intrusive, and would prefer a "friendly" form, rather than a CRA document. He also supported the decisions being made at administration's discretion.
Wiebe said he was open to have administration look at ideas and bring them back to the board, which other trustees agreed to also.
International travel
Following discussions around the potential for international travel by St. Paul Education schools, the board of trustees opted to support domestic travel within the country, while not allowing international school trips to take place.
While trustees agreed there is a lot of educational opportunities that come with travelling, some did not believe it was the school division's place to take it on.
Wiebe, for example, acknowledged that he completely supported the idea that education happens when youth travel, he felt it would be better to be parent-led when it comes to travelling outside the country.
Younghans also agreed that travelling within the country is much more simple, and he too did not support international travel by groups associated with St. Paul Education schools.
A motion to support domestic travel, but not international travel, was carried.
