VCPAC General Meeting
There will not be a VCPAC meeting in March. The next meeting will be on April 11 at 7:00 pm
Dear PACs and contacts:
Please read the attached letter VCPAC wrote to the school board about budget priorities for families of district students. This letter was written based on feedback received since the beginning of this year from PACs through our regular meetings, emails and calls.
Funding to the Ministry of Education and Child Care in the recently announced provincial budget has no increases beyond those that came because of contract negotiations. Based on some early analysis, it does not appear to cover any inflation and there are no additional funds for items like the K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan. This year the school district is projecting a deficit of about 4 million dollars, and as school districts cannot have a deficit budget, the district is looking at cuts.
Tuesday night there was a public budget meeting; you can watch the presentations here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/h-wIySyBdpk?feature=share
After the presentations, there were table discussions of some areas with scenarios of decreases or increases to the budget. These included:
We are concerned as always that other options were not brought forward that keep cuts further away from students.
We really appreciate the time and work that went into this evening and the conversations were collaborative and engaging.
The school district is taking feedback to and we encourage you to submit your thoughts.
You can always direct comments on any district items to
Tracy Humphreys
VCPAC President
Attachments:
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 VCPAC Awards. We have many amazing people in our district and this is our chance to show our appreciation of their contributions to our students.
The Victor Gim Inspirational Student Award honours a student who inspires and makes a profound difference in the lives of other students, their school and/or the greater community. Through his/her thoughts, actions and approach to life, others are intrinsically motivated and gain a greater appreciation of being.
When selecting the Inspirational Student Award recipient, the selection committee places heavy consideration on demonstration of the above qualities, examples of inspirational actions, and the overall impact the nominee has made on other students, their school and the community.
Criteria:
This award is open to any Greater Victoria School District student who inspires and motivates others by:
Gail Edwards was a parent volunteer in the Greater Victoria School District who gave untold hours of her time and energy to the students of School District 61. Her life was cut tragically short when she lost a valiant battle against cancer. With the permission of her family, VCPAC created this award to honour her memory. This award will recognize a parent in the district who shares in Gail's passion and dedication.
Criteria:
This award is open to any parent/guardian of a student in the Greater Victoria School District who:
The parents’ choice award is granted annually to recognize a SD#61 staff member who makes outstanding contributions to the learning environments of our schools. The Award honours members who have made a significant impact on the lives of our children through leadership, vision and advocacy.
Criteria:
This award is open to any employee in the Greater Victoria School District who:
Tom and Marilyn Arkell volunteered tirelessly at Burnside Community School for many years. Their volunteering began in the 70’s when their children attended the school. They returned years later, committed to improving the lives of the school community. While helping in the library and classrooms, they lead by example, inspiring others to follow. The Arkell award is granted annually to recognize a community member who shares this commitment to our school communities.
Criteria:
This award is open to any community member who volunteers at a school in the Greater Victoria School District and who:
This award is presented to a Parent Advisory Council in recognition of a specific or ongoing activity or initiative that inspires other PACs.
Criteria:
This award is open to any Parent Advisory Council in the Greater Victoria School District which does one or more of the following:
This award is granted to a new teacher who has distinguished himself/herself early in his/her career by successfully incorporating innovation and creativity teaching practices in the classroom.
Criteria:
This award is open to any teacher in the Greater Victoria School District who:
This award is granted to any individual who champions students’ opportunities to participate in fine arts programs in the Greater Victoria School District.
Criteria:
This award is open to any person connected with the school community who:
This award is granted to an administrator who champions authentic partnership in his/her school based on shared vision and active collaboration.
Criteria:
This award is open to any administrator in the Greater Victoria School District who:
John Young (1921–2014) was a teacher, a principal, a professor and a school trustee. As a child, John’s early experiences in school included being told that he was not smart as well as being turned away from school because his family could not buy him proper shoes in the depth of winter in New Brunswick. Not only did John succeed in his educational pursuits but he also became a lifetime advocate for the poor, the deprived and the underprivileged. He believed that all children were capable learners and that no children should be labelled as failures.
He advocated for many years for “no school fees” to ensure that no student’s school experience would be affected by poverty. John was extremely generous and gave most of his money away to help others in need. He would say, “What do I need it for...I have everything I need.”
John earned the respect of students, parents, co-workers and professional colleagues who admired his ability put students first in everything he did.
This award honours and celebrates the life’s work and passion of John Young, perennial defender of the underprivileged. John believed that helping others was a responsibility and that giving was a privilege. John taught us that incredible things can happen when you believe in your students.
Criteria:
This award is open to anyone connected to the Greater Victoria School District who:
Nomination form to be submitted to VCPAC Awards by April 28
Greater Victoria School Board
556 Boleskine Road, Victoria, BC V8W 2R1
or email to
The selection for the recipients of VCPAC awards will be made by the VCPAC Awards Selection Committee established at our February General Meeting. The committee will consider all information received as well as information gained by any inquiries it might choose to make.
Details on the awards ceremony will be posted once they are finalized.
Here is the letter sent to the SD61 Board. It was cc'd to the stakeholders, rights holders and Minister of Education and Child Care as discussed at the VCPAC meeting.
Tue Apr 11 @ 7:00PM - 09:00PM VCPAC General Meeting |