BIG IDEA 1– Support for Families

Child Care

The Contract with Langley is committed to looking for new and innovated ways to drastically increase spaces in childcare facilities and expand before and after school recreation programs.

December 2021, the ToL released the Child Care Action Plan. This plan was created after consultation with numerous interest groups including: parents/guardians, and other stakeholders. However, despite the creating of this comprehensive guide, during the past year and a half, very little effort has been made to implement the action items. The Plan states numerous times that the ToL and School Board need to work together.

1. Expand before and after school programming and childcare options

·     Advocate for joint programs with Township & City councils to increase recreational based programs such as Active Beyond the Bell and expand these programs include before school opportunities for students.

·     Advocate for expanding programs such as Seamless Day Kindergarten.

·     Create hundreds of new in school daycare spaces by working with provincial, municipal and private operators.

o  Work with CUPE to find creative solutions where SEAs are provided with the option to achieve a liveable wage -  full time hours by working in before/after school programs.

o  Work with all levels of governments, ECE providers, and other community groups in order to ensure there is support and communication of school based before/after recreation and childcare programs.

2. Address frustration for families as they attempt to locate and procure additional supports 

·     Advocate for authentic wrap around services for families & students with unique needs.

o  Increase interagency collaboration- Value and harness the strengths of all available community resources.

o  When building new schools sites, include additional spaces that can be rented out to relevant outside agencies.

3. Explore ways to increase collaborative connections between guardians/student/staff

· Increase communication with all stakeholders.

o  Continue to work with DPAC & local PACs to understand their unique concerns.

o  Direct admin to include translation options on all notices.

o  Proactively engage and connect with families and students in their local areas.

· Provide targeted educational advocacy opportunities for all guardians, particularly those learners with unique needs.

o  Information sessions will focus on empowering guardians to understand their rights as well as how to collaborate in a meaningful way during IEP planning meetings.

Big Idea 2 – Prioritizing Staffing Needs

The Langley School District’s mission is “To Inspire All Learners to Reach Their Full Potential,” but however issues with understaffing staffing results in some of our students being denied the same educational opportunities as their peers. Educational equity issues are often the result of understaffing SEAs.

   1. Hire more SEAs in order to meet the actual needs of students.

·     Investigate the rationale used by the District to eliminating over two dozen SEA positions this year.

·     Advocate to the Provincial Government to provide more funding for SEAs.      

·     Explore options for a tiered SEA compensation structure based on qualifications.

·     Advocate for non-instructional days to include meaningful Professional Development opportunities for SEAs.

2. Prioritize the budget to account for essential staffing needs.

·     Reform staffing practices to meet the real needs of our students.

o  Provincial Collective Agreements with unions that regulate staffing levels should be seen as the minimum, not the ceiling of what students deserve.

§ Two year+ waiting list in order to receive a PsychEd assessment is unacceptable.

§ Delays in diagnosis mean students are denied early intervention opportunities.

3. Entice First Year Teachers to Choose Langley

·     Mobilize trustees to collectively lobby the government to open additional seats in teacher training programs.

·     Develop close relationships with universities and advocate for more student teacher placements in Langley

o  Incentivize teachers to take on student teachers

Big Idea 3 -  A Plan for Better Schools – Capital Expenditures and School Improvement Plans

In order to achieve a progressive long term plan for schools, it is imperative that school boards, local, and provincial governments work together to build new schools. We are committed to scheduling standing monthly meetings between the School Board, Langley City and ToL.

1. Participate in proactive long term planning initiatives

·     Work with municipal governments when developing new Neighbourhood Plans (NP) and advocate for predetermined school placements to be central to the planning process.

·     New development must pay for new infrastructure, like safe walk routes.

·     Review long term plans in upcoming neighbourhoods to avoid mistakes made in Willoughby.

·     Ensure that all school sites have adequate playing fields and nature space available before they open.

2. Work with the ToL council in order to relocate Willoughby Elementary. 

·     Act upon consultation and concerns put forth by Willoughby residents to relocate the elementary school.

3. Advocate for the MoE to change its funding formula.

·     Insist that the funding formula is student centered and keeps up with inflation.

o  Providing classrooms are supposed to funded by the provincial government, however, antiquated funding models result in new school builds becoming overcapacity before completion date. 

§ If portables are required, local school boards bear the costs.

·     This creates inequity for growing communities         

§ Portables are not financially sound solutions. The cost per each shipping container is approximately $200 000

·     We need to explore other options for classrooms, such as modular and prefab structures.

3. Prioritize environmentally friendly building practices

·     Create a long term plan that commits to environmentally friendly building standards

o  Explore grant opportunities that may offset costs.

o  Protecting tree canopies

§ Schools should be an opportunity for a community to showcase its progressive ideas

o  Advocate for alternative energy programs for students

§ School programs could include classes/clubs that help maintain solar panel systems, alternative energy sources, and green building initiatives.

4. School Playgrounds need to be accessible to all

·     All playgrounds in Langley, should include accessible play equipment.

o  Seek out potential grants and donors to support this initiative.

5. Continue to look for additional self-funding initiatives

·     Increase International Student programs

·     Sponsorships – Look for sponsors who would be interested in naming rights for school gymnasiums, fields, nature areas, etc.

·     Continue to seek out other innovative financial opportunities

Idea 4 -  Mental health and Safety & Wellbeing

 Ensure schools are implementing effective programs that focus on social emotional learning (SEL). Students who feel connected and supported have better graduation rates, leading to better life outcomes.

1. Include mandatory Trauma Informed Practices workshops for all district staff.

2. Reevaluating counsellor to student ratios to reflect the actual needs. 

·     Prioritize the hiring of more counsellors and work towards a model that would allow individual schools to report and request additional counselling hours in response to the needs of the students.

• Strengthen working relationships with community groups to provide full wrap-around support for students.

o  Increase collaboration with our local Indigenous Elders to develop culturally appropriate interventions.

3. Continue to look for innovative ways to increase High School Completion rates for Indigenous and Special Needs students.

·     Consult with education specialists and community groups to develop action plans. The disparity between groups is alarming.

o  93% of Langley students complete high school

o  80% of Indigenous students complete high school

o  77% of students with Special Needs complete high school

4. Reject the MoEs current reforms to how we fund our diverse learners.

·     Advocate that individual educational planning, requires individual educational funding.

o  Reject pressure to accept models similar to the Prevalence Funding Model.

o  Support students and families who do not want to be forced into Connection Hubs models and would rather have autonomy over the supports their child receives.  

Idea 5 - Physical Safety – Students and Staff

Safety plans are an integral part of many Individual Education Plans, however, many plans are inconsistent and not communicated effectively to all concerned parties.

1. Validate all complaints/incident reports made by staff and ensure staff members feel satisfied with the outcome.

·     Commit to an audit of all current Safety Plans to ensure they include best practice strategies to keep employees, students and the individual safe during a violent outburst.

·     Streamline incident reports and cut red tape to encourage staff to report ALL incidents and provide the district with more accurate data.

2. The District, with collaboration from community specialists, to provide additional violence intervention programs.

·     Acknowledge there is no “one size fits all” program.

·     Ensure regular reviews are completed to review the effectiveness of the new Ukeru program

Bullying policies

Clear/transparent guidelines for teachers & administrators to follow - procedures will ensure that there is no ambiguity or subjectivity.

1. Create new victim specific protection policies

·     Unless requested by the victim, the offender(s), rather than the victim, will be the one relocate from shared learning environments.

·     Ensure that the victim is an active participant in restitution process.

·     Safe zones established in schools for those students who need somewhere to go during breaks.

2. Create Defined Restitution Flow Charts

·     Ensure all staff approach disciplinary/diversion incidents through a trauma informed lens. “Offenders” are still children. The key is to provide these children with consistent & intentional steps to help them with personal challenges, while also designing an intentional way to achieve restitution.

·     Policy needs to ensure that the student is an active participant in restitution

Safe Routes to School

1. Work with municipal councils to increase safety along walk routes.

·     Revaluated walk routes to include additional safety measures for students.

·     Advocate for defined crosswalks with flashing lights, bigger and better school zone signs and reflective paint on roads to provide an extra alert to drivers when entering a school zone.