Whatever You Do, Just get out and vote October 15th.

 A very wise friend once said to me, “If you don’t run for Office, you know that they will.”  

Indeed.  

With municipal elections around the corner, it always amazes me that once again, the most marginalized in our communities, our vulnerable kids, are being pushed out of the spotlight.  Commentary after commentary appear daily about a whole host of concerns in our communities, without ever focusing on the foundational aspect about improving the situation.  Education is the key to creating healthier living conditions and strong economies, yet the very system responsible for this pivotal task, escapes any form of accountability.  It’s astonishing that the second largest provincial expenditure continues to run amok unchecked, while costs spiral out of control, and kids continue to falter.  It seems Trustees and our school leaders like it this way.  They’re allowed to fly under the radar year after year, creating their own ideological fiefdoms, while more and more kids fall through the cracks.

Against a backdrop of stagnant enrollment and record levels of spending, kids in British Columbia are falling further behind their Canadian and global peers.   Although each and every one of our stakeholder groups are aware of this, they continue to prioritize funding on boxes of  Kleenex and social justice initiatives.  I cannot think of a more important social justice issue than ensuring our kids graduate fully literate and numerate, yet it seems those we elect have a different agenda, prioritizing issues which have no meaningful impact on a child’s future.  What is the point of creating worthy citizens if they’re illiterate? How can they save the planet when they can’t formulate basic math?  A lack of knowledge is what’s missing in their lives. No amount of “just google it” or “they’ll get it eventually” will get them there.  And disadvantaged kids are the ones who are faltering the most.  

Three years ago, before anyone had even heard of COVID, British Columbia kids had already fallen to the lowest level of literacy, numeracy and scientific achievement ever, dipping even below the Canadian average, for the first time.  International assessment is analyzed at a comparative level. It doesn’t matter where our placement is.  What does matter is comparing current standards to previous years.  This comparative analysis determines where the improvements need to be made, and is the basis for creating educational policy globally. Furthermore it measures students’ ability to problem solve in a real world setting.  International assessment is one of many tools in the toolkit, but they’re eschewed by unions and school leaders alike, to the detriment of our students.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD),                  a forty-one-point drop is equivalent to losing one year of instruction.

In British Columbia:

        we have declined 34 points in Math since 2003

        we have declined 19 points in Reading since 2000

        we have declined 22 points in Science since 2006

A generation ago, our students were further ahead at a fraction of the cost. 

What’s worse, is that the gap between the high achieving students, and low achievers, is WIDENING, as a lower percentage is making it to level 5+6 (high) and a higher percentage of kids are ending up at Level 1+2 (low).  

Promises of implementing a visionary curriculum has given way to the worst results ever recorded across the Province, and it’s only going to get worse.  The fallout of the school shutdowns is looming, and more international results are on the horizon.  How much further are we allowing our students to fall, before we determine enough is enough?   The school to prison pipeline is real, as overwhelming data confirms what the reality is for illiterate and innumerate kids, by the time they are nine years old.  And yet your provincial government continues to implement harmful school policies that only exacerbate the problem.

How did we get here?

Once again, we have the grown-ups in the room hogging the spotlight.  Special interest groups and activism has hijacked the public system.  When spending levels exceed 85% at the district level to pay for salaries and benefits, precious little is being allocated for classroom instruction.  And even then, a huge portion of the leftovers is awarded to profiteering education consultants and dubious resources .  Provincial exams are a thing of the past. Letter grades do not appear until Grade 10.  Kids are arriving at post-secondary institutions poorly educated and quitting in record numbers.  No meaningful methodology supporting best instructional practices is utilized, and without any measurable standards left, there’s no hope that any improvement will arrive anytime soon. The rhetoric will be allowed to continue unchecked.  In order to make responsible changes systemwide, first there must be overwhelming evidence that these changes have been successfully implemented elsewhere.  So where’s the proof?  What we have, in fact, is the exact opposite. We’ve already seen similar curricula implemented in multiple jurisdictions worldwide, and the result has led to unconscionable failure. Every single time.

Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the silent majority.  Against the backdrop of plummeting achievement, British Columbia families are turning their back on the public system.   We have the highest percentage of enrolment in independent schools in the country.  Our politicians need to pay closer attention to this.  We cannot continue to blindly pour money into a system that’s no longer working. The excuses aren’t working anymore. Give the people what they want.

With so many options available, why not create more alternatives under the public banner? It’s heresy to continue to fund a system that doesn’t prioritize our kids.  

And yet, Trustees and Superintendents prefer you didn’t know too many details, and all of this is being funded by your municipal tax dollars.  So, if you think your vote doesn’t matter, think again.  Vote for your kids. For your grandkids. For the future of this generation, and attend a meeting once in a while. Demand an audit. As a member of your community, you’re entitled to know what’s going on. In fact, it’s your duty to do so.  There are plenty of good folks who know what to do, but they need your overwhelming support to get it right. 

Let’s hope we make the right choice.