The report is in the hands of the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, the board and administration now needs a little time to digest all of its details.
Cornerstone Tomorrow, an independent survey and fact-gathering project for the school division was conducted by hired consultants Craig Melvin and Lorraine Thompson. The two engaged in three general public fact-gathering sessions that attracted 71 participants including about a dozen in Estevan, this past winter. The survey also included feedback from 45 teachers, 31 school community council members, 60 students and over 235 general respondents who participated in the online survey.
“It was an independent study, therefore there was no preconceived notion as to what it was going to reveal,” said Lynn Little, Cornerstone’s director of education.
Unfortunately, the day that had been set aside for the administration and board members to go over the report with Melvin and Thompson, was the same day the funeral for board member Bryan Wilson was to be held, so Little said there was no real opportunity or desire for any of them to focus on the report’s details at that time.
Another date is being set.
But Little said, since then, they have had the opportunity to scan some of the results to formulate some concept of what it entails and she said, as a result, the board has already made a concentrated effort to once again, speak to the public about how the school review process works since there are still some misconceptions about how those reviews are triggered and what they entail and how long they take.
“The board will review the report and share the information from it. The committee that was struck to guide the review will meet in June to plot the direction,” said Little.
In the meantime, there has not been any public disclosure regarding the review, other than the board-directed public discourse on the school review process.
