School may be out – but the Bluewater Board of Education’s Outreach report is now in.
The document summarizes the input garnered from Phase One of a public consultation process launched by the Board in May.
Jennifer Yenssen says she expects some backlash over the fact the document is being published after school let out.
But she says they set a timeline of getting it done by the end of June, and the report was uploaded to the Board’s website on June 30th.
Yenssen says facilitator Peggy Sattler examined all the input and found concerns fell into four main categories.
They are communication and consultation, governance, school operations, and dispute resolution.
Yenssen says in her opinion, access to the Board was the largest concern brought up by participants in Phase One.
She says out of those concerns came the suggestions to hold regular town hall meetings, alter the times when Board meetings are held to accomodate working parents, and lengthen the amount of time delegations are given to speak.
In response, Yenssen says the Board has already struck a subcommittee to begin immediately examining the by-laws that govern Board meetings.
Yenssen says the report covers all the many concerns people raised, and although all the comments have not been included verbatim, they have all been taken into account.
She adds she is very happy with the number of parents, students, staff, and community members who participated in Phase One.
In total, 170 people attended one or more of the four public meetings held in Owen Sound and Walkerton, 55 people submitted discussion guide surveys, and 36 people sent email or voicemail messages to the facilitator.
Yenssen says Phase Two of the Education Outreach will begin in the fall with a Public Satisfaction Survey.
The Bluewater Education Outreach 2009 Public Consultation Summary Report can be found on the Board’s website at www.bwdsb.on.ca