The South East Cornerstone Public School Division discussed several different topics prior to its final meeting of the 2017-18 school year on June 20.
During a brief round table discussion, several board members made note of the various recent graduation ceremonies they attended throughout the division, with some witnessing the graduation of as few as seven students, to those who observed more than 140 students receiving their Grade 12 diplomas.
A collective bargaining agreement with local teachers was ratified by the Cornerstone board members early on during the meeting.
Deputy director of education Keith Keating said the contract deals with accessory items outside the main teacher salary contract, which is settled through provincial bargaining.
The local collective agreement deals with such issues as preparation time for educators, leaves of absence for various reasons or causes and other non-salary items of concern.
“We extend our thanks to the leadership team in our office who worked very efficiently on our behalf,” said board member and vice-chairwoman Carol Flynn.
An updated financial report was presented to the Cornerstone board by Marilyn Yurkiw, who is engaged in the financial department of the division’s $113 million operation.
She noted the division’s revenue and expenses will be “pretty well on the budget track,” by the end of the fiscal year. Yurkiw pointed out some of the areas where there were variances from the original budget projections, providing explanations as to why there might be some significant changes to the figures on both sides of the ledger.
Also during the meeting, Andy Dobson, the manager of facilities and transportation for the school division, reported that finding substitute bus drivers became a growing problem in the final quarter of the current school year.
Shelley Toth, the division’s chief financial officer, delivered the information since Dobson was unable to attend the session in person.
The report indicated that 47 of the 176 route cancellations in a recent three-month span were due to the lack of a substitute driver. Another 125 cancellations were attributed to weather related situations, including an early spring fog. Four other cancellations were due to mechanical issues.
A total of 4,121 Cornerstone students were bus riders in the final quarter of the school year and the average one-way ride time remained at 48 minutes, with the longest one-way ride time being a Torquay area route to Estevan that encompasses about 90 minutes.
The report stated that one route on the west side of the region has now been eliminated.
The board members did discuss the practice of “deadheading” buses, taking an empty bus to a residence away from the dispatch area, and how that might affect the recruitment of drivers.
The policy regarding this issue as it relates to in-city routes in Weyburn and Estevan and more rural pick-ups was further discussed to see if there might be a desire to change the policy.
“We have tried to eliminate a lot of deadheading in the past,” said Lynn Little, the division’s director of education.
It was agreed the discussion could be continued in the future with Dobson being present to provide more details and comments regarding bus drivers and their access to the buses they are expected to drive.
The board members are now taking a break from their regular routines. They have no regularly scheduled public meetings in July. Members will convene again on Aug. 21 for the first day of a two-day strategic planning session and will meet again on Aug. 30 following a teachers’ convention.
The board will then return to their regular meeting schedule with a Sept. 12 gathering in the division’s head office in Weyburn.
