The Cowichan Valley School District’s board of education has released their annual budget survey and is hoping the public will engage and help inform the budget process by sharing their thoughts.
Not too much has changed as this year’s survey continues to focus on ‘Beyond Education’, the Cowichan Valley School District’s Strategic Plan. The survey asks for the public’s guidance on budgeting under the four key priorities of Learning, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Culture of Care, and Future Focused System.
It’s a short questionnaire but useful for the school board to identify shifting priorities of the communities and on what directions to focus more.
As an example, the results of last year’s survey directly impacted the board’s budget in terms of increased focus on literacy and numeracy, basic skills like reading and math. These investments continue to serve learners in the district and were noted as important to the community.
“Knowing what the community feels is most important to focus on as we move forward is key,” said Cathy Schmidt, the chair of the Cowichan Valley School district’s board of trustees. “The budget allows us to continue to deliver educational programs that provide for exceptional learning opportunities for learners across the district. Our budget also ensures we continue to create safe and healthy places to learn and work. In addition to this survey, we consult with our partners like our union groups, district parent advisory council, district student advisory council, Indigenous leaders, and many more. This robust consultation helps show a clear path forward for the board as we create our budget.”
To see and respond to the budget survey, which should only take five minutes to complete, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8BFRF53 or look for a link on the Cowichan Valley School District’s Facebook, or Twitter accounts, as well as its website: www.sd79.bc.ca. Survey responses will be collected until Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023.