School board takes input

Despite declined enrolment, education representatives asked Lakehead Public Schools to find a way to reduce class sizes.

Lakehead District School Board budget committee held a meeting on Tuesday. The committee took suggestions on what to included in the 2010-11 budget.

Ellen Chambers Picard, local president of Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said decreasing classroom sizes is a numbers and money game.

"The fewer children you have in a classroom, the fewer behavioral concerns," Picard said. "Teachers can deal with children on a more one-on-one basis."

Generally, the class size ratio for junior and intermediate classes is about 25 students. Picard said to solve the problem of large classrooms the school board should change the average to a lower number. She said having just nine students less makes a huge impact.

"I’ve taught in classes of 20 and I’ve taught in classes of 29 and it is unbelievably different," she said.

The budget committee also heard suggestions about hiring additional help. Representatives requested the budget committee look at hiring social workers, full or half-time facilitators and guidance councilors.

Jeff Upton, co-president of Lakehead Ontario Principals’ Council, said there isn’t enough assistance for at risk students.

"There is not enough of us to go around," Upton said. "Social workers are so important because they provide that family support. It is often teachers, principals and vice-principals that often identify kids that are at risk. We’re asking for full time social workers in high schools and social workers more available in elementary schools."

Upton also suggested the budget committee compensate smaller schools with an additional $1,500. Schools traditionally receive funding by the number of students enrolled. He said smaller schools aren’t able to cover common cost such as telephones and photocopying because of smaller budgets.

"Larger schools have a larger budget," he said. "What the small schools are asking for is a little subsidy so they can pay for those items and allocate more money to students in other areas."

Upton said the trustees appeared very open to the suggestion.

Don Kerr, chair of the Lakehead District School Board budget committee, said he couldn’t comment on specific issues but understood the importance receiving input.

"They are working on the frontlines in the classroom," Kerr said. "They have important input like special education and they know what they are talking about."

Kerr said it struck him that all the delegations focused on the success of students. He said that with the decline in enrolment, everyone was concerned with how the budget could help students.

The Ministry of Education hasn’t yet released its financial details to the budget committee, he said. Traditionally, the ministry releases its information on how much funding it is going to give earlier in the month. Kerr said until they receive that information they don’t know how much the decrease in enrolment will affect the budget. He said he expects it sometime in April.

Kerr said because of the delays, budget might not come out until July 31. The budget committee plans to have a draft completed by June.