In his first report to Nova Scotians, Michael Pickup said 6,100 students in Digby, Yarmouth and Shelburne counties have some of the poorest results in the province in literacy and numeracy.
The audit found that the board did not do its job of ensuring that school officials are held accountable to deliver acceptable student performance. In addition, officials reporting to the board do not effectively monitor the progress of students and no comprehensive strategy exists to address the poor performance.
"Although the governing Board meets on a regular basis they do not receive sufficient information or spend appropriate effort on the fundamental role of educating students. The Board does not request or receive important information to know whether schools are planning and making sufficient progress towards achieving business plan goals, the academic performance of students is meeting expectations, and the development needs of teachers and principals are met," the report reads. "Roles and responsibilities need to be clearly defined so that they are understood by both the governing Board and management."
The Tri-County Regional School Board oversees the work of approximately 470 school teachers and 350 support staff for its 6,100 students.The board serves approximately 6,100 students over 7,000 square kilometers.
“The board and management owe it to the students that they get the education necessary to keep up with others in the province," reads the report
The report also states: "The Board has identified improving student achievement in numeracy and literacy as priorities, but has not undertaken an in-depth analysis to determine the root causes in its schools which are contributing to the underachievement of students in these two areas. We recommended the Board undertake such an analysis in order to identify and develop specific strategies to target key reasons their students are underperforming."
The report noted that despite below-average student achievement results on provincial assessments in the last two academic years, the topic was rarely discussed at either Board or Education Committee meetings.
The board’s students ranked at or near the lowest of all others in the province in grade 3 and grade 6 literacy and math.
“Given the importance of student academic performance, we expected this would be a frequent topic,” read the report.
A press release about the Auditor General’s report said both the school board members and officials agreed with the recommendations but there was no mention of the report at last night’s (Dec. 2) public school board meeting in Yarmouth.
The Auditor General issued 10 specific recommendations. They include;
- addressing the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance of its students in literacy and numeracy. In addition, the Board should regularly review reports on student performance, including students on individualized programs, to hold management accountable for the delivery of educational services to its students.
- ensuring that teacher and principal evaluations are completed according to Board policy, that teachers are adhering to the provincial program of studies, and that staff development needs are being met.
- evaluating the superintendent’s performance against the responsibilities of the position and take any necessary action.
- regularly monitoring the performance of students in all subject areas and take the required action to ensure student achievement meets expectations.
- ensuring that professional growth plans are completed and that plans link to Board and school improvement goals.
In response to the report, the Tri-County Regional School Board says the governing board and senior management team will work together to ensure the board's plan and strategies address the areas where the report identifies gaps in the board's existing pratices.
"We will use the areas noted in the audit report to reinforce and strengthen our focus in fulfilling our responsibilities in the delivery and monitoring of educational services to our students," reads a statement from the board.
The statement goes onto further say the board and management are committed to working towards implementing each of the recommendations contained within the audit. The underlying challenge in the implementation, states the board, continues to be limited resources, staffing levels being paramount, due to financial restraints.
In the coming months the school board will be working with a special advisor yet to be appointed from the Department of Education in an effort to implement all 10 recommendations.
Although disappointed with the negative tone of the Auditor General’s report, Tri County School Board Chairperson Donna Tidd said her board recognizes there are problems that need to be addressed.
“I believe there are always areas for improvement,” she said. “There are challenges but we will work through them. We’ll work together to ensure we address the areas of concern.”
Tidd cautioned that the issues presented from the report would not be an “easy fix” though.
The head office of the Tri-County board consists of 47 support staff including 11 staff, such as coordinators and curriculum consultants, to monitor and provide professional support to the educational programs.The Board’s operating budget for 2013-14 was approximately $69 million. The board has consistently complained of suffering from a lack of funding from the province.
IN OTHER SCHOOL BOARD NEWS, SEE ALSO: Tri-County board sees highest % of Primary students facing vulnerabilities, students on IPPs
Meanwhile, other provincial issues (these are non-school board related) dealt with in the auditor general's report included long wait times for elective surgeries such as hip and knee replacements and security vulnerabilities within case management software at the Department of Community Services.
The 68-page report exploring a variety of topics contains 31 recommendations.
The full report is available at www.oag-ns.ca.
