Dear Editor:
As trustees of the Burnaby board of education, we felt compelled to write a response to Mr. Friesen's and Ms. Ward's letters to the editor of the Burnaby Now (April 22 and 24 respectively), "Creativity Could Help to Alleviate School Cuts" and "Why Aren't Kids in Public Schools?"
Firstly, it should be noted that the statistics used in Ms. Ward's letter are misleading. The school-age population is misrepresented as she includes 18-year-olds in her calculations while school district data is based on five- to 17-year-olds. Further, her stated per pupil funding formula is very-much over-simplified.
The real issue we wish to clarify, is the simplistic suggestions stated by both Mr. Friesen and Ms. Ward that the Burnaby School District is eliminating programs and losing enrolment - that little is being done to attract students to Burnaby's public schools. This is simply not true, and our enrolment statistics indicate that we are meeting the learning needs of our community - and then some.
Our district has sustained enrolment, and we attract students to our schools by continually offering creative and innovative programs. These include Challenge Programs, Sports Academies, Mandarin Language Arts, International Education and one of the strongest Advanced Placement programs in the country. We continue to lead the way - and in fact, many families who don't live in Burnaby choose Burnaby public schools for their children.
While we try our very best to be all things to all people, we recognize that some families choose independent schools in Burnaby or schools outside of our district for reasons that are often beyond our control. These reasons include religious beliefs, ideology or specialty programs that meet their individual or desired needs.
The Burnaby School District is an exemplary district. Our students, teachers, and schools win awards locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. We are proud of the fact that:
• We have one of the largest AP programs in Canada - and two of our district schools (of 10 Canada-wide) were awarded the opportunity to offer the AP Capstone Diploma Program that will begin in the Fall of 2014.
• Our rates of completion and transfer to post-secondary are well above the provincial average.
• We were one of the first districts to adopt programs for newborn to age five - and today 12 District StrongStart BC Early Learning Centres engage children, parents, and caregivers.
• The district's Visual and Performing Arts program is one of the most comprehensive in B.C. (elementary music teachers and secondary school dance instructors are in every school).
• We offer a wide variety of programs including French Immersion, Mandarin Language Arts, Challenge Programs, Sports Academies, Online learning and Career Training options.
Since 1906, Burnaby schools have strived to provide the right mix of programs to best serve the learning needs of the city's diverse and evolving population. Our programs will continue to expand as we identify needs, despite the fact that Burnaby receives the lowest per student funding in the province (again, contrary to Ms. Ward's calculations).
Public education means that every child is provided with an opportunity to learn and to reach their potential - and beyond. In Burnaby, we are proud that our schools do just that.
The Burnaby Board of Education,
Baljindar Narang (Chair), Ron Burton (Vice-Chair), Meiling Chia, Larry Hayes, Harman Pandher, James Wang, Gary Wong
