Under Section 8(4) of the BC School Act, the Armstrong Elementary School PAC has the legal right to advise the school principal, staff, and the school board on any matter related to our school.
“A parents’ advisory council, through its elected officers, may advise the board and the principal and staff of the school […] respecting any matter relating to the school…”
— BC School Act, Section 8 (4)
This legal foundation gives PACs standing in the conversation and makes it harder for decision-makers to ignore legitimate concerns.
Parent voices through the AES PAC
PAC is more than just a fundraising group. We’re also here to represent parent voices and offer feedback on what’s working well and where we see room for improvement. That includes:
- School programs and priorities
- Student safety and well-being
- Communication between home and school
- School culture and climate
- Policies and changes that affect students
- Administrative leadership and staffing transitions
- District-wide planning and resource allocation
When parents speak together through the PAC, their voice is stronger. A united message backed by clear documentation and consistent communication often carries weight with administrators and trustees.
How PAC advisory work occurs
The PAC shares feedback in a few different ways:
- By bringing forward parent concerns at PAC meetings
- Through conversations with the school principal
- By bringing forward parent concerns at District PAC (DPAC) meetings
- By submitting emails or letters to the elected school board or appointed district leadership team
- By asking questions and making delegation statements at school board meetings
The PAC also shares correspondence records so parents can stay informed, ask follow-up questions, and participate in the process. On this website, you can view recent meeting minutes as well as recent communications with the school district.
Outcomes of parent-led school advocacy
While the PAC can’t veto school or school district decisions, elected trustees and appointed leaders are accountable to their communities. When advocacy efforts are public, well-documented, and broadly supported, they can often result in a response, even if not immediate.
A recent example of parental advocacy occured when School District No. 83 tried to close Armstrong Elementary School in 2016. Parents pushed back hard. They reviewed district financial records, wrote public letters, and brought forward key facts. Their advocacy helped expose major issues in the district, including the transfer of more than $10 million dollars from regular school operating funds to fund capital projects like a new district office in Salmon Arm (source: BC Government).
“The entire board of education in the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District, and the superintendent, were called upon to resign at a packed public meeting last night.
The calls for resignation come after parents discovered $10.5 million in surplus operating funds were transferred into capital funds over the past five years and used to build the new $9 million District Education Support Centre and a $1 million facility in the school works yard.”
Parents call for resignation of North Okanagan-Shuswap school board, superintendent over money transfers
Infotel News, Charlotte Helston, April 13, 2016 at 7:19 AM
This community advocacy led to the provincial government commissioning a Special Advisor Report “The Watson Report”. As a result, the entire school board was fired by Minister of Education Mike Bernier (see government news release), and the superintendent was replaced. And in the end, the closure decision was reversed.
“Widespread community concerns about the overall performance of the board were sparked by the board transferring more than $10 million in operating surplus funds to fund capital projects like a new district office while it reduced its operating budget.”
– BC Government News Release, Victoria, June 15, 2016 1:30 PM, “Official trustee appointed, board replaced in School District 83”
Even if short-term outcomes don’t change, PAC advocacy establishes a record of parent engagement, strengthens community unity, demands transparency from elected and appointed school district officials, and lays groundwork for future wins.
If there’s something you’d like PAC to raise or speak to on your behalf, please contact us or join us at one of our upcoming meetings. We’re here to support open communication and ensure that parents and caregivers are respected partners in education.
