School District 5 (SD5) recently held a public consultation to define educational priorities in the district. The consultation was in addition to a short survey sent to stakeholders this week.

According to Board Chair Frank Lento, this feedback will help define the educational platform candidates will be asked by SD5 to support in the upcoming May 14 election.

Consultation focused on four basic pillars of education; funding, buildings, programs (including the BC Education Plan) and technology but Lento says that at the end of the day funding was the central issue for everyone.

“There’s been a serious decline in resources for basic public education over the past decade,” said Lento, blaming short sighted and inadequate funding by government for out-dated equipment, aging facilities, reduced services and fewer instructional hours.

While Lento understands that government has many competing demands, he expressed disappointment in Education Minister Don McRae’s response when asked about education funding during a meeting between the SD5 Board and McRae on April 10.

“Minister McRae is just the latest in a procession of education ministers who have come through our district over the last few years saying education is a priority,” said Lento. “However, the reality is we haven’t seen government investment to match the rhetoric. In fact, we’ve seen the reverse, and that undermines fundamentally our ability to prepare students to succeed and to adapt to a rapidly changing future.”

The Education Priority Survey is available for public input until May 6, and can be found at www.sd5.bc.ca.

Above photo: Education Minister Don McRae tours Mount Baker Secondary School last month. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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