The Calgary Catholic School District will be holding a parent-trustee forum on March 26 at Bishop Carroll High School to consult with community members about their upcoming budget and capital plan.
The parent-trustee forum will be done using the World Cafe format, which will give trustees the chance to talk to several tables of parents. Felicia Zuniga, director of communications and community relations, said an RSVP form will be sent to all parents ahead of the event.
Topics that will be discussed include budget, enrolment and the upcoming three-year capital plan.
“We’re also looking for any suggestions on table topics at the table,” she said.
Trustee Linda Wellman stressed the importance of the budget consultation because the CCSD has to approve its budget by the end of May. She said parents need to know the CCSD’s finances, including significant cuts that were made and how the district is financing projects over the next 10 years.
“Our school councils play such a significant role within our schools, and they can be some of our best advocates,” Wellman said at Wednesday’s board meeting.
“The more information they have, the better they can advocate on our behalf and on the behalf of their students.”
Wellman said these conversations will hopefully motivate more parents to get involved with their school councils.
“I have heard for quite some time, and even when we were doing the quadrant meetings, is that they would go to a meeting, they would look at a screen, and they would be read to and spoken at, and that was it. Then we would ask them to fill an evaluation as to how meaningful the meeting was, and we always got the same feedback. It’s bad, really bad,” she said.
“I am excited about doing this World Cafe, and I really think the first one is going to be and no pressure on anybody. This is going to make it or break it. So, it needs to be meaningful. It needs to be real. We’ve got to give the information, and we have to be prepared for the feedback, and we have to be prepared to utilize it.”
Trustee Mary Martin said the timing of the parent-trustee forum is good because the district will have determined its budget priorities and be close to finalizing a new capital plan. She said trustees need to tell parents how important these documents are at the forum.
“We’ve talked about utilizing parents. It’s important for boards to advocate, but there’s also a strength in the parent voice, and equipping them to advocate for Calgary Catholic as well,” she said.
