With over 1000 registrants and enthusiastic feedback from attendees about the keynote and workshops, it is fair to say that the 10th annual Spring Fling was a success.
Unfortunately, budget cuts from School District 57 related to teacher Pro-D coordination means that we may not be able to host a Zone conference in the future. The cut is not set in stone until 2014-15 budget decisions are made by the Board of Education.
Professional development by teachers and for teachers is an important component of the overall professional learning environment in the school district. We are concerned over the impacts that cuts to the coordinator position will have on both the relationship we have developed between teachers and district partners on professional learning goals, and on the specific services that we will not be able to offer without coordination time: out-of-district travel applications, support for mentorship, rural travel subsidies, shared inquiry projects, and facilitation of pro-d opportunities and events through-out the year, including the Spring Fling.
You can read more about how teacher Pro-D is organized in SD57 at http://pgdta.ca/pro-d.
You can also leave feedback on the conference via this two-question survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9L86NWH.
