The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division Board of Education continued to see excellent progress after revamping their Board Advocacy Plan and Board Development Plan.
Board Chair Cher Bloom, substituting for absent Trustee Alan Nunn, updated the board of the progress of both plans at their recent meeting.
This year the Board focused their development work on Mental Health and Well-Being.
“The streamlining of their board development plan and advocacy plan has been going really well,” Director of Education Neil Finch said. “They’re really focused in on a few items instead of so many that it’s hard to accomplish, so I think they’re doing a very good job.”
The Board Development Plan focused on Learning and Innovation in 2024-2025 and will again in 2027-2028. It will also focus on student, staff, and board member Mental Health and Well-being in the 2025-2026 school year. There are focuses set aside for learning for each year of the Strategic Plan to 2030.
The development plan covers the next four years. Each year the board will have a new focus areas. In the Strategic Plan there are five areas and the board in their four-year term will focus on three areas two and two areas once. They will have eight different focus areas, but some will be doubled.
In 2025-2026 the board will be taking part in several mental health and well-being and cultural responsiveness sessions.
The areas of focus in the advocacy plan are vulnerable students and support for learning, facilities renewal, School Community Council relations and communications, Ministry and elected officials’ relations and the Strategic Plan and Provincial Education Plan.
The Board successfully completed most of the actions and strategies outlined in its Advocacy Plan for 2024-2025.
The successes shared included several meetings with elected officials and a face-to-face meeting with the Minister of Education.
The Board was able to share both successes and challenges in these meetings according to a release by the division. These include advocacy related to funding distributions for vulnerable students, support for learning shortfall, and discussions on the Sask DLC and funding for major capital projects.
Key efforts included engagement with local MLAs and the Minister of Education, rural taxing authorities, School Community Councils (SCCs), and the Elders Council. . The Elder’s Council welcomed new members Elder Curtis Beaton and Elder Leo Omani this year.
The division is also hosting an engagement event of Feb. 9 at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation, which is invitation only. The list of attendees includes School Community Councils, Sask Rivers Students for Change (SRSC), senior administration from the school and division level and trustees.
The division also has an engagement session planned on Monday, Jan. 19 with the Mayor and members of council from the City of Prince Albert.
“We’re looking forward to having the City come join us and just have some good conversations there too,” Finch said.
The City School Boards Liaison Committee is currently on hold as the city completes a new Strategic Plan. On May 20, Prince Albert City Council passed a motion to place the Advisory Meeting committees on hold pending the approval of the city’s Strategic Plan.
Finch explained that as one of the largest employers in the City of Prince Albert it is important for Saskatchewan Rivers to have open communication with the city.
“I think anytime you’re in a community where you’re a big player in the sense of having a lot of employees and a lot of families and students that you impact, if you can be positive partners with the city, that’s what you want,” Finch said.
