Ministry Overview and Core Business Areas

Ministry Overview

The Ministry of Education oversees the K – 12 education system in British Columbia. The roles and responsibilities of the Ministry and its partners are set out under the School Act, the Teaching Profession Act, the Library Act, the Independent School Act and accompanying regulations. The Ministry's core business is to provide funding, improve literacy, establish governance structures, set educational standards, monitor student performance and report results to the public. The K – 12 system serves approximately 574,230 public school FTEs (full-time equivalents), approximately 62,550 independent school student FTEs and more than 3,060 home-schooled children. The Ministry gained three areas of responsibility after the May 2005 provincial election and government reorganization: literacy, early childhood learning, and library services. The Ministry, through 70 library boards, provides leadership and support services for the operation of the public library system, which serves 98 per cent of B.C.'s population. For a list of changes from the 2005/06– 2007/08 Service Plan that was published in February 2005, please refer to Appendix A.

The Provincial Government exercises legislative authority over the education system through the School Act and School Act Regulations, which assign governance responsibility to the Minister of Education at the provincial level, and to boards of school trustees at the local level. The School Act and School Act Regulations empower the Minister to supervise and monitor B.C. schools, rendering the Government accountable to the electorate for its performance. At the local level, the School Act and School Act Regulations empower 60 school boards to administer public school legislation and regulations, making school boards jointly accountable to the Minister and to the constituents who elect them.

Each school board, in accordance with the Ministry Accountability Framework, is accountable to the Province and the public for the performance of its students. Under the terms of an Accountability Contract, each board has the responsibility to govern its schools to achieve the results targeted in its contract, with flexibility to meet the unique needs of the local community. School planning councils acknowledge the importance of parental involvement and formalize the role of parents in developing plans to improve student achievement in all schools in British Columbia. School planning councils are advisory bodies. Their major responsibility is to develop, monitor, and review school plans for student achievement in consultation with the school community.¹

The Ministry of Education has a substantive and primary role in determining education policies. School boards have a duty to govern schools in a fiscally responsible and cost effective manner. Boards are responsible for providing education programs that reflect the aspirations of the local community. They employ district staff, prepare and manage the district's operating budget and capital plan, prepare an annual Accountability Contract, approve local courses, and adjudicate complaints from parents and students.

The Inspector of Independent Schools is responsible for the administration of the Independent School Act, regulations and Minister's Orders. Responsibilities include classifying and inspecting independent schools, ensuring schools meet Independent School Act requirements, certifying independent school teachers, administering the offshore school certification program, and setting home-school policies.

The role of public libraries has become significant in the emerging information age through new technologies, such as the Internet. Public libraries play a key role in managing information services to ensure citizens have access to high quality information in an orderly way that is both relevant and useful. By providing equitable access to information, they will continue to contribute to British Columbia's economic strength and social vitality.

Major Ministry initiatives with cross-ministry impact

Literacy

The Ministry of Education is responsible for improving literacy across all segments of society in British Columbia and has taken a national leadership role to improve literacy through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. To meet this goal, the Ministry will work closely with B.C.'s social development ministries. As well, the Ministry has primary responsibility for liaising with the Premier's Advisory Council on Literacy.

Health-Promoting Schools²

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are jointly responsible for promoting healthy living and improving the health of B.C.'s youth. The Ministry also takes a national leadership role through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to develop and share best practices regarding Health-Promoting Schools.

Early childhood learning

To improve early childhood learning outcomes and to better prepare children for school, the Ministry of Education will work closely with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Inter-ministry data sharing

To broaden each ministry's understanding of other ministry programs, the Ministry of Education is leading a project to exchange information between the social development ministries.

Core Business Areas

1. Public Schools — As legislated under the School Act, the Ministry provides operating funding to school boards and others to support the K – 12 public school system. The K – 12 system serves approximately 574,230 public school FTEs (full-time equivalents) in 1,666 schools across British Columbia.

2. Independent Schools — As legislated under the Independent School Act, the Ministry provides operating funding to approximately 352 independent schools. Approximately 10.5 per cent of the K – 12 student population is currently enrolled in independent schools. The Inspector of Independent Schools is responsible to the Minister of Education for the administration of the Independent School Act.

3. Debt Service and Amortization — The Ministry provides funding to public schools to finance capital projects including upgrades, renovations, expansions, new facilities and buses, and is also responsible for debt services and amortization.

4. Early Learning and Literacy — As legislated under the Library Act, the Ministry provides government transfers to support the public library system and to support programs that promote literacy in communities and schools.

5. Management Services — This core area provides corporate services to operating programs, including financial, budget, human resources, information management, administrative services, freedom of information and privacy services, and general services assistance for the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Advanced Education.

6. Executive and Support Services — The Ministry provides leadership and develops policy and legislation, oversees system governance, sets results-based standards and accountability frameworks, monitors performance, and reports results. This area includes the Minister's Office and Ministry Program Management.

Ministry Structure

Key Ministry Responsibilities³

Note: These descriptions are accurate at the time of publication, but are subject to change as priorities and responsibilities shift in response to the Government and individual ministries striving to meet the needs of the public.

Accountability

The Accountability Department is responsible for the management of the Accountability Framework, designed to focus the attention of school districts on improving achievement levels for all students. The Accountability Framework includes:

• Accountability Contracts;
• District Reviews; and
• School Planning Councils.

As well, the Aboriginal Enhancement Branch is focused on improving the achievement of Aboriginal students through the development and implementation of Enhancement Agreements between local school districts and their Aboriginal communities.

Achievement and Assessment

The Achievement Branch is responsible for the provincial curriculum, published in Integrated Resource Packages (IRP's). IRP's include prescribed learning outcomes and approved learning resources, as well as achievement indicators and classroom assessment strategies designed to determine if students are achieving learning outcomes. The Branch is also responsible for literacy initiatives, including the B.C. Performance Standards in Reading, Writing and Numeracy.

The Assessment Branch is responsible for large-scale provincial examinations and assessments, including the Foundation Skills Assessment and Graduation Program Examinations. The Branch is also responsible for national and international assessments, external credentials, provincial scholarships and awards (including Passports to Education), the provincial report card policy, student certification and transcripts, collecting student, school and district level data and for French Programs.

Funding Department

The Funding Department manages the development, allocation and administration of the provincial education budget and ensures that the financial and business management of the 60 school districts meet acceptable standards and conform to provincial legislation and policy. The Department allocates capital funding to the public education system for new and replacement schools, for expansion and renovations to existing schools, and funds Government's risk management program for schools. In addition, the department is implementing a long-term Seismic Mitigation Program for public schools.

Governance Department

The Governance Department is responsible for the governance and legislation of the public school system, including:

• Independent schools;
• Home schooling;
• Offshore schools;
• Policy development; and
• Ministry Correspondence Unit.

The Department is the primary liaison with the Ministry of Attorney General on legal matters and litigation involving the Ministry. Within the Governance Department, the Governance and Legislation Unit has corporate responsibility for governance of the Province's education system, overseeing the development and administration of all Ministry legislation and providing new legislation to the school system and education partners.

The Independent Schools Unit is responsible for:

• registering, classifying, evaluating/inspecting, and monitoring all provincial K – 12 independent schools;
• issuing operational, online learning, special education and home school registration grants to qualifying independent schools;
• granting, suspending and revoking independent school teacher certification;
• administering the Ministry's home schooling policies; and
• inspecting and certifying offshore schools.

The Policy Unit leads and/or participates in the research, development and integration of Ministry and Government policy, manages the Ministry's deregulation initiative, manages appointments to agencies, boards and commissions, and provides stakeholders with access to current Ministry policies through the K – 12 Ministry policy website.

Intergovernmental Relations Department

The Intergovernmental Relations Department (IGR) of the Ministry of Education was formed in July 2004 in response to Government's need for an integrated approach across ministries to improve effectiveness and efficiency. IGR's role is to coordinate and harmonize cross-government initiatives, activities and priorities to support and enhance student achievement and to promote a high quality, performance-oriented public education system. The IGR Department also has corporate responsibility for the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, which is a forum for education ministers to provide national leadership on issues of mutual concern.

The Information Department

The Information Department provides reports on:

• The population and demographic characteristics of the education system;
• The performance of students in that system;
• Operational characteristics (i.e., number of educators, program enrollment, etc.); and
• Financial and facilities information for school districts, schools and the public.

Through the B.C. Electronic Student Information System (BCeSIS), the Information Department enables all B.C. school boards to integrate the management and monitoring of school operations and student performance. As well, the Department develops strategies for sharing data, software and information technology services and manages the Education Data Warehouse, which is the main repository of information for the Ministry of Education. To support increased access to education for all students, the Information Department develops and coordinates strategies to provide more flexibility and choice to the school system, through initiatives such as distributed learning.

The Initiatives Department

The Initiatives Department is responsible for:

• Graduation Programs;
• Board/Authority Authorized Courses;
• Transitions;
• Industry training in K – 12 and Secondary School Apprenticeship;
• Adult programs in K – 12 schools;
• Special Education programs;
• English as a Second Language programs;
• Safe, Caring and Orderly schools;
• Health-Promoting Schools;
• Early Learning and school readiness; and
• CommunityLINK.

Liaison Department

The Liaison Department strategically networks with partner groups, stakeholders, school districts and schools. Liaison is responsible for communicating Ministry initiatives to the field and reporting back the views and reactions to Ministry initiatives.