Benefits and pension contributions paid by the district to employees are not included in the SOFI figures. The majority were district and school administrators, but 22 teachers also scored six figures, compared to eight the previous year. The total compensation of teachers who retired last year after working in the district full time for more than 10 years could also include a long-term service tip based on years of service. The windows of the West Vancouver High School library overlook sunny Burrard Cove.
A slogan on the wall reads: “Laughter translates to any language.” As if they were at the right time, the students who walk the halls of this school in one of Vancouver's most elegant neighborhoods laugh in many languages. It is a mosaic of Germans, Mexicans, Chinese, Koreans, Brazilians and other nationalities. These are the kind of superlatives that attracted Paulina Mueller when she went around the world in search of the ideal place to continue her education. Originally from Germany, the 17-year-old has an early motivation, is already focusing on medical school and specializing in surgery. The province and school districts sell B, C products.
They also target foreign customers with online education, and some districts have even opened for-profit companies, with CEOs, to pursue other market-based educational opportunities. However, attracting international students to fill their desks and increase budgets is the big business boost. While West Van has decades of reputation to rely on, students like Paulina Mueller, who is enrolled in the demanding International Baccalaureate program, don't exactly walk through the door. Before Frankowski and Smiley make the first contact, these students and their families have already researched dozens of educational opportunities in a few countries. They may have researched local transportation options, the price of a season pass at Grouse Mountain, and a school's extracurricular offers. By the time some of these students land at YVR, they may know more about West Vancouver than a child born and raised on the North Shore.
But most importantly, their families have made the decision to dedicate a significant amount of discretionary income to the education of their children. Frankowski says that the relationship between different districts is more collegial than competitive, but admits that each district strives to establish the right connections and generate the kind of positive word-of-mouth reputation that is gold when promoting the attributes of a district. Richmond's international students come from 23 countries, with mainland China, Hong Kong and Brazil accounting for half of them. When Shepton sells Richmond, it promotes its list of new or recently renovated schools, a strong English as a second language program, high completion rates, good transportation and easy access to recreational facilities, not to mention a deep-seated Chinese community that helps facilitate the cultural transition of incoming Asian youth. A decade ago, a quiet but more profound change took place with the passage of Bill 36, the School Amendment Act, which allows districts to establish for-profit businesses. The hope was that districts could increase funding by selling educational services, such as professional development programs for teachers and English as a second language programs. Depending on who you talk to, these private company initiatives either make sense in a world in which the national student population is shrinking and governments have cash flow problems, or they are a slow disaster that clouds the mandate of public education. They have earned their skill on the fierce global stage for international students, but school districts have their business capacities limited; after all, they are bureaucracies led by educators, not master's degree holders.
The number of for-profit businesses in school districts has fallen from a high of 17 to fewer than eight, most of which are empty shells, companies in name only. Back at the oval table at the West Vancouver School District office, Maureen Smiley and Michael Frankowski are unabashed fans of international student programs. They enjoy the district's autonomy to grow and benefit from international students, and they don't apologize for West Van's success. When it comes to for-profit businesses run by school districts, they share the skepticism of the BCTF.
After observing the difficulties of New Westminster, Smiley wonders why a school district would bother to take on the burden of a for-profit company, with all the accounting and governance headaches that come with the territory, not to mention managing schools abroad in countries with very different political and cultural climates. For Frankowski and Smiley, taking international students to B, C. classrooms is a good education policy and you don't need a hard-to-manage business company to achieve that goal. With a small entourage of three support employees, Smiley and Frankowski are basically twice the number that makes the district's international program one of the most envied in the province.
He sees online education as the path of the future, and the school district's business activities are poised to grow in this direction. According to Larry Kuehn - Director of Research & Technology at Federation of Teachers British Columbia - inequality is an issue since urban schools benefit disproportionately from foreign student income. This is important information especially during this year when government's mandate for net zero emissions caused work interruptions in schools. The Public School Employers Association (PSEA) approved by Public Sector Employers Council (PSEC) said Irena Pochop - Senior Communications Manager - compare districts and find out which schools offer an additional remote hiring & retention subsidy.
In addition we have had examples of school districts that hire high level employees on contract basis & therefore do not mention their salary in these reports. In West Vancouver schools there are 8 male & 6 female secondary & elementary school principals. We then analyzed number female employees & their salaries compared to men in school districts after eliminating unionized positions such as teachers whose salaries are based on collective agreements.
