The Delta board of education has again acclaimed Laura Dixon as chairperson.
At the board's inaugural meeting last Tuesday, which began the third year of a four-year term, Dixon was named chair while Val Windsor was again named vice-chair.
First elected to the board in 2008, and becoming its chair four years later, Dixon acknowledged district staff, including new superintendent Doug Sheppard, for a productive year in such areas as the revised curriculum and assessment.
She also acknowledged Delta's education partners as well as her fellow trustees whom she said "go above and beyond."
The district's financial outlook seems a bit more stable now that enrollment has levelled off and is projected to begin gradually increasing.
However, that doesn't mean some big concerns have gone away when it comes to the issue of funding.
Saying this year has been challenging, Dixon noted the board hopes the recommendations of a provincial select standing committee will be accepted by the government.
Those recommendations include addressing "inequities in the Ministry of Education funding formula, including discrepancies in the programs and services offered in rural or urban communities, as well as in administrative staff compensation levels."
The recommendations also include the province providing "predictable, sustainable and adequate yearly funding to enable school districts to fulfil their responsibility to continue to provide access to quality public education."
Dixon noted additional support is needed to help implement the new provincial curriculum.
"Each one of these recommendations were related directly to points we have made to the select standing committee (on finance) along with many other boards of education and our provincial association, the British Columbia School Trustees Association," said Dixon. "We will continue to press the government to fulfill those recommendations."
To help offset funding shortfalls over the years, the Delta board has created specialty academies to attract and retain students. The district also continues to bring in even more international students, a lucrative source of revenue that's grown steadily in recent years.
