School division seeks feedback on PD day changes
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2017 (2326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Brandon School Division is looking for the public’s feedback on the changes made to professional development (PD) days.
Beginning this school year, the school division converted three full-PD days into six half-day sessions.
Out of the eight PD days scheduled for 2017-18, only two are for full days.
“We know that some parents are quite happy with this and we know that some parents aren’t,” Linda Ross, chair of the Board of Trustees for the Brandon School Division, said.
To learn how the public feels about these and other changes made to the school calendar, the division has posted a survey on its website with questions on PD days and whether families are accessing child care as a result.
Ross said the school division did make arrangements with the YMCA to have child care spaces available to families on half days.
But the question is whether parents are happy with the changes.
“So that’s the feedback we’re looking for,” she said.
The school division proposed the changes earlier this year as part of its Continuous Improvement Plan.
The aim was to reduce the cost of PD and align the calendars between K-8 and 9-12 schools.
But the feeling among parents has been mixed. Vicky DeVlieger, treasurer for the parent council at Valleyview Centennial School, said having the YMCA, along with the Valleyview Kids Zone daycare, has been a “big bonus.”
But she said some families are paying for a full day of child care, even though they may only need it for part of the day.
DeVlieger also questioned having PD days in the middle of the week.
“I don’t think a lot of parents are enjoying them too much,” she said.
The change to half-day PD is also expected to save the school division money.
In a statement, the division said it would save approximately $100,000, largely by reducing the costs for substitute teachers.
There have been two full-PD days and one half-day so far this school year, which leaves five half-days remaining between February and June.
This is excluding administration days, which are similar to PD days in that there are no classes.
The one exception is on March 8, when K-8 students get a full day off because of PD in the morning and administration in the afternoon.
» mlee@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @mtaylorlee