News Releases
January 21, 2010

Official Trustee appointed to Northland School Division

Government review to address student achievement results

Edmonton... An Official Trustee has been appointed to the Northland School Division by the Alberta Government as an interim measure to address concerns over student achievement results across the jurisdiction. 

“My number one priority is that students are successful in school, so I’m taking action now to ensure positive changes occur for students today and in the future,” said Dave Hancock, Minister of Education.  “My goal is to help set the stage for new beginnings to build a more effective learning environment.”

Dr. Colin Kelly has been appointed Official Trustee and will have all the powers of an elected Board of Trustees in operating the School Division.  Effective immediately, the 23-member Board of Trustees for Northland School Division will cease to hold office, although they will remain as chairs of their local school board committees.

Under Section 42 of the School Act, the Minister of Education has the authority to appoint an Official Trustee when he considers it is in the public’s best interests.  Hancock concluded there is ample evidence indicating the Board and the jurisdiction are not functioning at a satisfactory level and showing no signs of improvement in the near future.  In making this decision, Hancock noted concerns over student performance, achievement and high school completion as well an ongoing trend of high teacher and administrator turnover in the division as primary reasons for the action.

“I have given this course of action careful and serious consideration, and am disappointed at having to enforce this section of the School Act,” added Hancock.  “The bottom line is that the education of students is suffering and we can’t risk losing a generation of young people.”
 
The Minister has also appointed a three-member inquiry team under Section 41of the School Act to study the operations of the Northland School Division.  The members of the inquiry team are: Dr. David van Tamelen, former Secretary-Treasurer and Superintendent of Schools, Peace River School Division; Nathan Matthew, B.C. First Nations Representative on the Education Advisory Council to B.C.’s Minister of Education; and Keith Wagner, former Deputy Superintendent (Curriculum) with Grande Prairie School District.

Official Trustee appointed to Northland School Division

The inquiry team will focus on student achievement, governance, and instructional and administrative leadership of the division. The team will take up to six months to complete its work and will provide their recommendations in a final report to the Minister. The review process will be consultative and collaborative involving local school committee members, school division staff, administration, teachers, parents, students and the local community. 

“I believe the inquiry team can thoroughly and objectively examine all the presenting issues in Northland, but we must recognize that we do not have all the answers,” said Hancock.  “The feedback and advice that we receive from community, staff and student participants in this important process is fundamental to making true transformative change in the division. We must come together to focus first and foremost on the interests of students.”

Backgrounder

Role and biography of the Official Trustee

The School Act provides the Minister of Education with the authority to appoint, by ministerial order, an Official Trustee to conduct the affairs of a board when it is considered in the public interest to do so. 

The appointment of an Official Trustee is an interim measure to facilitate the urgently needed changes in Northland School Division.  Dr. Colin Kelly was chosen for this role because of his extensive experience as an educator in northern communities and his collaborative approach to finding solutions to complex issues.  

Dr. Colin Kelly’s Biography

Dr. Colin Kelly attained his Doctorate of Education in Education Leadership from the University of Alberta in 2000.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in 1974.  And in 1986, he received his Masters of Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

From 2007 until today, Dr. Kelly served as the Director of Education for Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta.  Prior to this, he worked for the Yukon Government, from 2005-2007 as the Co-Chair for the Education Reform Project and served as the Superintendent of Schools and Assistant Deputy Minister of Education from 2002-2005.  From 1990-2002, he was the Superintendent of Northland School Division.  In 2002, he received the President’s Award from the Alberta School Boards’ Association.

Terms of Reference for the Official Trustee in Northland School Division

It is expected that under Section 42(2)(a) of the School Act the Official Trustee will perform all duties conferred on the board by the School Act and the Northland School Division Act, subject to the following terms and conditions:

  1. The Official Trustee will introduce measures aimed at improving student learning and achievement in the Division.
  2. The Official Trustee will repeal the current Northland School Division Policy 7.
  3. The Official Trustee will, as appropriate, consult with the 23 communities that comprise Northland School Division about the effectiveness of other Board policies, and will amend or repeal any other policies the Official Trustee deems necessary in order to achieve more effective and efficient operation of the Division.
  4. The Official Trustee will assist the Inquiry in Northland School Division, appointed on or about January 21, 2010, in all matters.
  5. The Official Trustee will implement any alternate governance structure, as directed by the Minister.
  6. The Official Trustee will address any other matter identified by the Minister during the term of this appointment.


Inquiry team role and biographies

Section 41 of the School Act allows the Minister of Education to order an inquiry to examine and inspect the administrative condition, or any other administrative matter connected with the management, financial condition, administration or operation of a school board to ensure it is effectively supporting student learning.

The team will gather and evaluate information through records such as meeting minutes, financial statements and public meetings.  The team will also establish the format and dates for consultation with members of the local school committees, school division staff, administration, teachers, parents and students and community members to seek their advice and perspectives.

Once the information is gathered and evaluated, the team will provide its recommendations to the Minister.

The members appointed to study the situation were chosen for their expertise in education.  The members of the inquiry team include:

Dr. David van Tamelen (Chair)

Dr. David van Tamelen currently runs a successful consultancy, David van Tamelen Educational Consulting, whose clients have included the Alberta School Boards’ Association, several school jurisdictions and Alberta Education.  His expertise and knowledge of school governance, finance and educational leadership make him an ideal chair for the review.

From 1971 to 2004, Dr. van Tamelen worked for the Peace River School Division in Peace River  as an educator and administrator, and recently retired from his position as the Secretary-Treasurer and Superintendent of Schools.  Dr. van Tamelen attended the University of Alberta where he received his Bachelor of Education (1970) and his Master of Education specializing in Educational Administration (1988).  He completed his Doctorate in Education in 1999.

Nathan Matthew

Education has been a priority for Nathan Matthew throughout his professional career. He has served on diverse committees and councils at the local, provincial and national levels. Under his leadership the First Nations of the province of British Columbia signed the first Aboriginal Education Jurisdiction Agreement with the federal and provincial governments.

In 1972, Matthew received a Bachelor of Recreation Education from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and received his M.Ed. in 1990. In 2006, Matthew was awarded an honorary doctorate from Thompson Rivers University.  Matthew currently serves on the B.C.  First Nations Forestry Advisory Council and UBC’s First Nations Forestry Program Advisory Committee.  He is also the B.C. First Nations Representative on the Education Advisory Council to B.C.’s Minister of Education.

Keith Wagner

Keith Wagner’s teaching and leadership experience has taken him across the province from Grande Prairie to Fort Vermilion to Central Alberta at all levels of school administration.  His diverse perspectives as a former teacher, school principal and deputy superintendent (curriculum) have led him to his current occupation as a private consultant in educational policy and curriculum issues.  Over the years, Wagner has worked on several projects with the Alberta School Boards’ Association. 

Wagner received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary in 1971 and obtained his Masters Degree in Education from the University of Victoria in 1983.

Terms of Reference for Inquiry in Northland School Division

It is expected that under Section 41(1) of the School Act, and with all authority granted by sections 41(2), (3) and (4) of the School Act, the members of the Inquiry will, as appropriate, consult with the 23 communities that comprise Northland School Division, and will gather information for, report findings to, and offer recommendations to the Minister, on the following: 

  1. Student achievement in Northland School Division, and plans developed by the Division and schools to improve student learning and achievement results as measured by the Accountability Pillar.
  2. The exercise of instructional and administrative leadership by the Superintendent of Schools, including steps taken to improve student learning and achievement, and regarding the management of personnel, special education, FNMI programming, and supervision of schools.
  3. The financial condition of Northland School Division, including, without limitation, budget processes and allocation of funds to schools.
  4. The nature and extent of Board or administration oversight in capital projects and day-to-day financial operations.  It is expected that specific attention will be paid to the Bishop Routhier School in Peavine and to the issues that have precluded occupancy of this facility by Northland School Division.
  5. The operation of the Northland School Division central administration.
  6. Compliance with fiduciary responsibilities by members of the Board and administration.
  7. The effectiveness of the current governance structure of Northland School Division, specifically the devolution of authority to local school board committees pursuant to the Northland School Division Act and Northland Policy 7, Local School Board Committees.  In this context, members of the Inquiry are expected to seek input from the 23 communities that comprise Northland School Division about the effectiveness of existing governance structures and alternatives to the present governance structure.
  8. Alternatives to the present boundaries of the school division, including consideration of the possible incorporation of a number of Northland School Division schools into other existing school jurisdictions.  In this context, members of the Inquiry are expected to seek input from the 23 communities that comprise Northland School Division about the effectiveness of existing school jurisdiction boundaries.
  9. Any other matter connected with the management, administration or operation of the Board, as further directed by the Minister.

Northland School Division

Northland School Division has 2,885 students and 23 schools in northern Alberta communities.
The Division is governed by the Northland School Division Act, which provides for locally elected school board committees for each of the 23 schools.  The chair of each committee comprises the corporate board of trustees for the Division.

Accountability Pillar Results for Northland School Division

The Accountability Pillar measures results on a set of 16 criteria of success including both survey results and student outcome measures such as dropout rates, high school completion rates and post-secondary transition rates, as well student performance on Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Examinations.

Students in Northland School Division achieve results considerably below those of students elsewhere in the province.  Some of the most significant measures included in the latest Accountability Pillar report of October 2009 highlight this difference: 

  • The percentage of Northland students who complete high school within three years of entering Grade 10 is at 19.6 per cent  when compared to 70.7 per cent  for the province;
  • The overall percentages of Northland students achieving the Acceptable Standard on Provincial Achievement Tests (40.4 per cent) and Diploma Examinations (40.5 percent), compared to the provincial average at 76.8 and 84.4 per cent respectively;
  • The percentage of Northland students writing four or more Diploma Examinations is 5.6 per cent compared to 53.3 per cent provincially; and
  • 13 per cent of Northland students between the ages of 14 and 18 drop out of school compared to 4.8 per cent of students elsewhere in the province.

The detailed results can be found on the Alberta Education at: http://education.alberta.ca/apps/accountability/schoolauthorities.asp?type=byname&year=2009

Teacher Turnover for Northland School Division

Northland School Division’s four-year retention rate (the percentage of teachers who remain employed in the school division for at least four consecutive years) is 34 per cent, in comparison to the provincial four-year teacher retention rate at 62 per cent.