Saanich school district is putting up $40,000 for field trips for the rest of this school year, an effort to fill the gap left by a B.C. Supreme Court ruling last fall on the legality of curriculum-related fees.
School trustees have also decided to allocate $170,000 in their upcoming budget for the 2007-08 academic year to cover part of the anticipated costs of field trips, senior physical-education courses such as outdoor-oriented programs, music and band classes where instruments are needed, and “value-added” courses such as cafeteria training where students earn a special certificate.
Of that $170,000, a total of $75,000 will go toward field-trip costs, which are estimated to cost $100,000 for the next school year.
A decision on the future of “sports academies,” which combine work in the classroom and specialized sports training, was put off pending a possible announcement from the provincial government.
The moves follow from a report on the fee issue compiled by district superintendent Keven Elder after two months of consultations. Expectation of the report and the fee discussion packed the school board meeting Wednesday night, with a crowd of about 50 people spilling out the door.
School fees for courses, as well as activities that can have added costs, have been a provincewide issue since an October court ruling that charges can’t be levied for courses leading to graduation.
The decision followed a court challenge waged by veteran Greater Victoria school board trustee John Young, who took the stance that the School Act forbids fees because they can limit equal access to education for all students.
Some field trips in the Saanich district were cancelled in the months after the ruling.
Saanich chairwoman MaryLynne Rimer said the board had a broad purpose with its measures to address the fee issue.
“The reason the board made these decisions really is to say that these programs and services are part of the programs and services we provide in public education in Saanich. Certainly, the court decision made it really clear for us that these are not something that we could call ‘enhancements.’
Elder said the board appreciates a recent round of funding from the Ministry of Education, but has long-held concerns about both the amount of money it receives and the formula used to calculate its allocation.
“The big picture has even more to it than the money that’s available, it’s about the fundamental question of paying for public education.”
Rimer said the interest in this week’s meeting shows how much importance some school programs hold for people. Many in the audience were supporters of the Claremont Sports Institute, one of the so-called “sports academies” affected by the court ruling, she said.
Cost per student is about $1,000 to $1,100 a year.
“We anticipate there may be something when the legislature opens next month that will give us some idea of where they plan to go with respect to these academies,” Rimer said. About 70 students involved in rowing and field lacrosse are part of the Claremont program, and interest has been shown in adding golf and aquatics, she said.
“We do have challenges still with respect to the sports academies. It’s a bit of a wait-and-see because we clearly can’t charge fees for sports academies, they are integral to the student’s achievements for their graduation.”
Judith St.
Denis, a Claremont parent, told the board that sports academies have huge value for the students involved.
“Our kids are learning about community, teamwork, responsibility and commitment,” she said. “We can find a way to make this happen.
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