School District 57 has set out nine spending priorities to use a $698,500 pool of accumulated surplus funding.
If approved by trustees at Tuesday's school board public meeting, the surplus fund will not only create new teaching positions, but fund release time for existing teaching staff so they can to be excused from their classrooms to take part in learning sessions.
One of proposed spending priorities includes a $180,000 program to hire two teachers, one in elementary, one in a secondary school, whose jobs will be focused on mentorship of new teachers and to oversee university students as they complete their teaching practicums in area schools.
A $190,000 initiative would cover the salaries of one full-time teacher and two educational assistants and their supplies to help children who have behavioural problems and are prone to emotional disturbances.
Technology is the focus of a $50,000 disbursal, which would cover the costs to allow teachers to participate in a learning team to train teachers to take advantage of technology to enhance instruction. The board will also consider spending $36,000 to allow one teacher to work in classrooms one day per week to show teachers how to use technology-driven learning tools now available in classrooms.
"Teachers are doing the best work they know how to do with the technology they have, and if they're not doing more it's because we haven't shown them what's out there," said School District 57 assistant superintendent Lisa Carson. "Googling something on the Internet is not best practice. Best practice is once somebody has vetted through all the stuff that's not good practice to find what works best with kids. That's what makes the biggest difference."
In addition to the surplus funding, the school district is in the process of prioritizing projects that will be paid for through the province's Learning Improvement Fund.
For the past month, board administrators has been meeting with teachers, principals and parent advisory groups to work out how the district will spend $1.5 million in funding, part of a $165 million pool that will be distributed to B.C. schools over the next three years as part of the Bill 22 legislation. The fund was doubled from $30 million to $60 million as a result of $37 million in unpaid salaries for teachers during the three-day teachers' strike in March.
"By and large, the money in the district is going to be spent on class composition issues," said Prince George District Teachers Association president Matt Pearce.
The proposals will not be finalized until the fall and will be presented to trustees for final approval at the October public meeting.
n Susan Johnston, the current principal of Uplands elementary school in Penticton, has been hired to replace the retiring John McLay as an assistant superintendent with SD 57.
