NSSBA

At the Spring 2010 meeting of the Nova Scotia School Board Association meeting in Cornwallis, we heard presentations on 21st Century learning and how our board and the Province need to change how we are developing and presenting curriculum to all of our students. The great news is that all of the boards want to do this. The bad news is that it is finding the right plan moving forward to implement massive change across the province. We also voted on the resolutions to bring forward to DOE and the Minister who attended part of the conference. The top five priorities are:

1)       STRUCTURED FRAMEWORK FOR INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION
Be it resolved that the Province of Nova Scotia mandate a structured framework to ensure resources and services are available in schools and comprehensively provided with equity, fairness, and adequacy to meet the needs of the province's children & youth by ensuring full collaboration and cooperation between all departments of government including Health, Justice, Education, and Community Services.Notes from May

2)      INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF CURRENT FUNDING ALLOCATION METHODS

Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association request the minister of education to conduct an independent review of the current methods for allocating all available funding to school boards.

3)      ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association request that the Department of Education provide additional funding to school boards to support the provision of programs and services for students with special needs.

4)      SUPPORT FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS

Be it resolved that the Department of Education support Advanced Placement Programs in Nova Scotia for the purposes of recognizing the Advanced Placement Program and that they address the funding equity issue of both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

5)      RESOURCES TO ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIVE TIME

Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association urge the Department of Education to provide the resources necessary to provide time, both in the school calendar and within the instructional day, for teachers and principals to collaborate professionally and to engage in site-level, job embedded professional development.

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