“It makes things very challenging,” De Ruyck stated. “This is the third year in a row we have seen a drop. It was very much what was anticipated.”

He said the board was to meet again on February 5 to discuss the budget, then they would hold their public consultation on February 19.

While the Turtle Mountain School Division Board have been trying to get their budget in order, a longer-term commitment has also seen work. This June, their latest strategic plan will be finished, and they have been putting together an update. The last one was done in 2015 and ran from 2016-2020. Superintendent Tim De Ruyck said setting this up is a priority every four years.

“You always want a sense of direction, a well-articulated plan of what to focus on in any given time. It is an ‘evergreen’ document, in that it changes over time, but it does give goals and direction.”

They started in the fall, with a stakeholder meeting in the Legion Hall in Boissevain. The strategic planning get-together was handled by facilitator Sandra Herbst and included input from staff, parents and trustees. De Ruyck said it was a thoughtful day, with a lot of good input from everyone. They also held a survey of parents and other stakeholders, getting 200 responses. That too provided good feedback.

Four major goals

In preparing the new plan, it is helpful to go over the old one. The current document has four major goals in it, and De Ruyck said they have been working on every aspect over the past four years. 

1. Active and motivated

The first goal was to “encourage students to be active, motivated and fully engaged learners.” De Ruyck said this has been a key goal for many years.

“Yes, a student is in a specific grade, a specific class,” he explained, “but we want to meet their needs as students and individuals.”

One of the ways they have done this is through the response to intervention model. This allows help for students as individuals or could be programs for schools, classes or small groups. The RTI model involves identifying students’ special needs and meeting them with ongoing assessments monitoring learning rates and achievement.

As well, De Ruyck said they focus on the six C’s (character, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, collaboration, communication). He said they try to put these into their core curriculum, to help students grow.

“These skills are universally useful no matter what you do in the future.”

They have also been working on getting students more connected to their schools. This comes through the students feeling they have adult advocates. As De Ruyck explained, children’s number one advocates should be their parents, but they also need to have adults there for them in the school setting, to advocate for them, adults they feel they can count on.

2. Improve literacy

The second goal was to improve literacy and numeracy for students. The superintendent said that is one that will always carry forward into any plan. Those are the underpinnings of education and life. They are working at different data sources to monitor student progress from K-12 in this regard.

3. Better connect with stakeholders

The third goal was to better connect and communicate with stakeholder groups. De Ruyck said they have strengthened their electronic presence through their website and social media. Although they do not want to inundate parents with online surveys, they do them when they feel they are necessary. He added they felt they have made great strides in connecting with the communities.

4. Strengthen real world experiences

The fourth was to align students’ experiences with the outside world. This is very important. With partners outside the classroom, they have developed internship and apprenticeship programs, which allow students to gain work experience in the work world while gaining credits at school. They also are exposed to career days and post-secondary schools, to help make decisions for the future.

De Ruyck said they have even pushed this back to younger grades. They are exposing grades seven and eight students to choices in classes they will have later in high school.

“There is not much choice in grade nine, but as they progress through high schools, they have to make broader choices,” he stated. “We want them to keep as many doors open as possible.”

Students mental health

There is still work to do on the new strategic plan, but De Ruyck said some concepts have already come out, apart from continued focus on literacy and numeracy. Respondents want to continue to strengthen students’ real world experiences. Also, stakeholders want more promotion of students’ mental health. De Ruyck said this is becoming a more important consideration as young people’s lives become more stressful.

“Mental health and resiliency are very important considerations. We want to promote skills to cope with the challenges they will face. When facing challenges, we want them not to back away, but have confidence they can overcome them. As well, we want them to know there is help out there for them.”

The division will likely pass the budget at the first meeting in March. Then they will shift more focus to the strategic plan. A draft will be made, some revisions put in, and likely it will be voted on in April. De Ruyck is a big believer in the importance of the plan.

“The plan is what will guide us in our work,” De Ruyck said. “It is not something that sits on a shelf. We refer to it often.”