While Canadian Rockies Public Schools faces challenges moving into the future, its programs, student initiatives and staff satisfaction has grown over the past four years, according to Superintendent Chris MacPhee.
MacPhee presented an overview of where CRPS is today, compared to when he was hired, at a school board meeting, Jan. 25.
When interviewed by the CRPS board at the time of his hiring in 2012, MacPhee was asked, “what are some of the challenges you see in CRPS and what are some of the opportunities you see.
“So I had to do a half-hour presentation before they made me answer 22 questions and before principals got to grill me for a half hour.”
In MacPhee’s research about the school division before coming here, he found challenges included declining enrollment and a deficit budget, instructional leadership, which is the same worldwide, technology (teachers using technology as a tool), inclusive education funding, the fact the Bow Valley is an affluent community, which makes it difficult for some families (no affordable housing), the dual track French immersion program and that, despite the fact CRPS is a small school division, the same provincial expectations are placed on it.
Among the opportunities his research turned up included a generative, thinking board. “You can have feduciary boards that want to count every pencil, boards that are strategic and involved and wondering what the plans for the future are and you can get generative thinking boards, which I believe this board is because you went through Inspiring Hearts and Minds work.”
Other opportunities MacPhee saw included expanding the international student program (ISP), introduction of specialized programs, post secondary/dual credit, acquiring locally developed courses, and working toward partnerships and shared services.
Looking back, MacPhee said at the time of his hiring there was a dire fiscal picture where CRPS had an almost $1.4 million deficit, with a steep decline in enrolment and some deep austerity measures taken by successive provincial governments.
“The deficit,” he said, “made for a real challenging time, through no fault of anyone’s. And the formula (provincial education funding) still doesn’t fit us today. And Inspiring Hearts and Minds needed some meat on the bones, an action plan was needed.
“There were little to no professional learning funds for staff, we were a mountain school division that had just some outdoor education and the ISP was not at capacity.”
Today, though, said MacPhee, a survey of teachers as to whether professional networks are working or not showed that compared to 2014-15, when 45 per cent thought they were very effective, in 2015-16, 56 per cent said they were effective.
“For me, I haven’t seen results like that for quite a long time in the school divisions I’ve worked in. There are about 23 different learning networks in our school system and they’re using those half day Fridays in our calendar to do their work – on working with Indigenous students to literacy pieces, math pieces.
“For me to come to this school division and see the level of professionalism with the staff, it’s outstanding. Because we will get them on a Friday afternoon when they could be done and they’re still at their table, doing work. To me, that shows their dedication to the children in this valley.
“And I’m not oblivious to the fact, that like in any organization, not everybody is happy. If everybody was happy, I probably wouldn’t be doing my job. But the fact is, there are some folks who are maybe not happy with where the school division is going, or disciplinary action, who knows, but it’s a very small percentage.”
Staff, said MacPhee, are supportive of where CRPS is going, and there is job satisfaction.
As well, said MacPhee, the ISP program has grown over the past several years, as have English as a second language programs and summer and outdoor programs – to the point they are paying for up to six teaching positions yearly.
Innovative successes within CRPS include outdoor/experiential education, along with dual credit courses in medical terminology, business law, travel and tourism, hospitality, management, entrepreneurship, Alpenglow Community School in CCHS and Banff Elementary School’s Nature Explorers program. Dual credit programs give students both high school and post second credits for courses taken.
Other successes include shared and upgraded IT services, using Google Apps for Education, and greater utilization of school bandwidth and supernet.
The Outdoor Learning Centre, which features locally developed courses, started with one winter travel course a few years ago, said MacPhee, “any maybe a water travel course. This year, there are nine winter travel courses and water experience is a little less … maybe if we had more summer.
There are also Bow Valley Active Stewardship course, equine leadership and CALM (mandatory career and life management) program, with partners including Camp Chief Hector, Alberta Parks, Parks Canada, ID9 and prior Red Cross funding for Indigenous students.
“And there are free outdoor programs for our Indigenous students. We keep honouring pledges to offer those programs to Indigenous students for both the Morley and Stoney Education Authority.”
