The provincial government is doubling the amount of money it gives to parent advisory councils - but the head of the Howe Sound School District's Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) says it's little more than a gesture.
The Ministry of Education is giving Parental Advisory Councils (PAC) throughout the province a one-time grant of $20 per student. The grant doubles funding that PACs receive each year from gaming revenue through the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
The one-time funding will provide Howe Sound's 14 PACs with a total of $84,664. Councils can use the funding for such things as parent seminars and travel for council members, the purchase of playground items, drama and arts clubs and ex-tra resources to enrich student learning.
"Our government is committed to ensuring that parents are able to effectively advocate for their children and participate in their schools," said Minister of Education, Tom Christensen. "And this funding will help them do that."
"It's a nice gesture, but that's about it," said DPAC president and Brackendale Elementary School PAC president Michele Mulholland.
The province has passed several initiatives that ensure parents' involvement in schools, but Mulholland says she's frustrated that PACs are not allowed to fund professional development days for teachers, adding that she believes teachers could benefit from special education training.
"Schools aren't testing as much for disabilities, so teachers are relying on perceptions and assumptions," causing the misdiagnosis of Howe Sound students as having low incidence disabilities, said Mulholland.
Parents should have greater involvement in the education system, said Mulholland, quoting a National PTA organization study that suggests parents influence students' level of success.
"Decades of research show that when parents are involved in their children's education, students have higher grades, better school attendance, increased motivation and better self-esteem, lower rates of suspension, drug and alcohol use, and violent behaviour and a greater chance of going on to college," she said.
DPAC was allowed to organize the upcoming Dr. Gordon Neufeld seminar, however, and teachers are invited. Neufeld is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist who consults parents and professionals regarding children and their problems. The Howe Sound School District is organizing the one-day seminar for educators April 18.
