- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Brad Sallows said:>Solve this problem for me and I'll buy you the first three rounds.
1) If there is no tax base, from where is the current funding obtained?
2) There may be more to teacher retention than the wage gap (benefits? attitude of students? parental support? available resources?), but a $12K delta is about $500 per student in a class of 24.
3) What other privileges/benefits are in the band's power to grant to teachers as a condition of employment?
If money is truly a barrier, non-monetary benefits must be explored. Among the reasons private schools can retain teachers while paying them less is that the students are somewhat better behaved and motivated than the general public school population. I also suspect that more of the parents are directly involved and supportive. If there are too many disruptive students and indifferent (to their children's behaviour) parents, your options are severely limited.
If there truly is no tax base, then the community is essentially in the same situation as every company ghost town I've ever seen, but for the grace of federal funding. Reassign funding priorities.
Our funding comes from INAC (Band schools are a federal responsiblity) through the chief and council (who of course take an administrative fee). The funding formula for First Nations educational authorities is astoundingly complex. There is a base funding amount ~4,400, which has not changed since 1985, then additional base funds for special needs, this is all multiplied by an 'adjustment factor' depending on area, which is around 1.01 for us =~ $ 5200 per pupil + overall transport, counselling etc. The funding is negotiated by transfer funding agreements either every 5 years or yearly (depending on how well run a bands finanace dept is) and increaes are fixed at a max increase of 2% annually. Our population meanwhile is doubling every 13 years - between 1990 and 2003 we went from 2500 to 5000 members. At one point in the 80's we were at comparable levels to the provincial system funding wise ... now we are way back.
There are multiple teacher retention issues beyond salary, the main one being policital interferance. FN schools do not fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial public schools acts, so there is no real form of ensuring a standard is kept and zero accountability except through post-secondary success. It is not uncommon for overcrowded schools to be constantly shut down because of mold problems, weather, politics. There is nothing mandating 196 teaching days, certified teachers, etc. We are adressing that by creating our own education act on my reserve to create internal accountability. As an administrator with a school at double its intended capacity and funding levels far below our neighbours money is a big issue for me. It is hard NOT to want to be political in this regard as I know the squeeky wheel getys the oil. I also know most Canadians know nothing about First Nations educational issues. All of the "free money" some complain about FN's getting is below what New York spends per pupil just for education, meanwhile we are forced to use it for health care, infrastructure, capital, policing, education, social assistance, housing, etc.
I am not one to whine, but when it comes to our education budget I cannot help it.