CBE Board Meeting February 21, 2012

February 22nd, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

0:00 Welcome, O Canada

19:20 Chief Superintendent Johnson gives a brief response to the provincial budget

24:05 Stakeholder reports: Helen Mowat, (27:50) four parents speaking about the proposed Arabic bilingual program

46:20 Trustee Taylor’s inquiry: “In the context of the legal review described in the Calgary Herald article of September 20, 2011, was a formal request for proposal (RFP) completed prior to retaining the ongoing legal services of Davis LLP or were the services of Davis LLP contracted via “single source” purchasing?” Answer: “The services of Davis LLP were engaged through a sole-source agreement.”

47:55 The Board of Trustees vote against completing an Alberta School Board Association (ASBA) survey. Trustees Bazinet and Taylor in favour, Trustees Lane, Cochrane, King, Ferguson and Bowen-Eyre opposed.

1:08:40 Meeting adjourned

CBE sends warning to ARTICS

February 16th, 2012

By Larry Leach

On January 26, 2012, ARTICS received a letter from James Bancroft, a lawyer with Davis LLP. The letter and ARTICS' response can be found below. ARTICS is concerned that this is an attempt by the Calgary Board of Education to intimidate and silence ARTICS. We are a small group of concerned citizens, who are not affiliated with, and do not receive funding from, any other organization Read More...

December public vs. private meeting time

February 9th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

The final December 2011 meeting minutes were approved at the February 7, 2012 public board meeting, which explains the lateness of this review. In December, the CBE trustees again met far more in private than in public. In total, they met for 23 hours and 16 minutes. Public time for December: 8 hours, 15 minutes (or 35 Read More...

CBE Board Meeting February 7, 2012

February 8th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

CBE Board Meeting February 7, 2012 from ARTICS AssocResponsiveTrusteeCgy on Vimeo. 0:00 Welcome, O Canada West View school presentation Trustee Bazinet questions additional funding received based on increased enrolment

Urgent: CBE Fee Review

February 6th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

In spring 2011, the CBE Board of Trustees significantly increased transportation fees. Due to the resulting uproar, they promised a comprehensive fee review. We are pleased that the CBE has begun work on this fee review process. Good governance means communicating with the public, explaining why the current system functions the way it does, and discovering what is working and what needs to be improved Read More...

Confused about the new policies?

February 2nd, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

There has been a lot of conflicting information about the new Calgary Board of Education policies. Here are a few frequently asked questions in order to help clarify a few things. 1. Are these policies significantly different from the old policies? From what trustees have said in the board room and at a recent CAPSC meeting, the answer is no Read More...

CBE Board Meeting January 24, 2012

January 26th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

This is the board meeting where the trustees unanimously approve their new board procedures. CBE Board Meeting January 24, 2012 from ARTICS AssocResponsiveTrusteeCgy on Vimeo. 0:36 Welcome & O Canada 3:10 Lord Beaverbrook school presentation 43:30 Public questions. Question from Jennifer Andrews: Can you please tell us what the cost of having the Aspen Group consult, as well as the cost of any other outside groups required, in formulating the plan to adopt the new governance policies planned to be passed in tonight's meeting Read More...

CBE Board Meeting January 17, 2012

January 18th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

Untitled from ARTICS AssocResponsiveTrusteeCgy on Vimeo. 0:00 Welcome, O Canada, trustee and chief superintendent reports 12:35 Start of the policy revision discussion 25:05 Board development session: Internal Assessment System 1:04:50 Questions from trustees on the board development session 1:29:34 Discussion as to whether or not trustees should debate 1st reading of the policies 1:33:30 Debate to adopt the Coherent Governance model Read More...

In the best interest of the public?

January 17th, 2012

By Trina Hurdman

As you may have already read in the Calgary Herald or in the Calgary Sun's article or scathing opinion column, the Calgary Board of Education trustees are planning to approve a new set of policies through which they will govern the CBE. The development of these policies over the past few months was probably the most important work that the trustees will do throughout their term in office Read More...

November public vs. private meeting time

December 27th, 2011

By Trina Hurdman

In November, the CBE trustees again met far more in private than in public. In total, they met for 12 hours and 54 minutes. Public time for November: 2 hours, 54 minutes (or 22.5% of the total board meeting time) Private time: 10 hours (or 77.5% of the total board meeting time) We're beginning to see a very worrying trend Read More...