2020 EFMA Directors Spring Workshop recap We are pleased to let you know that the EFMA Directors Spring Workshop was once again held in Richmond, B.C. from March 12 to 13, 2020. The two-day event had 60 spaces available initially, securing 52 spaces at registration, and at the beginning of each work day 47 directors and managers were ready to go to work. The program this year was developed from the feedback of last year’s workshop assessment forms. Glenn Miller, our Executive Director, was the emcee for the event. The two-day session had a variety of topics designed to have information and education for all directors working in a school district. The presenters and presentations included:
Workshop group watching a presentation from Michael Nyikes, Ministry of Education Capital Branch.
• Dangers in the Typical Classroom by Alan Kavanaugh Noratek Solutions once again gave a nice job articulating what risks we face in and around our schools.
• Leadership & Management Skills by Chuck Morris SD #61 (Victoria) This was an interactive presentation on how to be a good leader and a respected individual.
• Disaster Response by Barbara Morgan City of Pitt Meadows Barbara Morgan gave a really effective presentation on good strategies and important information on what to do in the event of a disaster.
• Ministry Capital Branch with Michael Nyikes He once again spoke on the initiatives and policies the ministry is working on and again reinforced his commitment to working directly with EFMA on achieving those initiatives.
• Planning- LRFP/Demographics/Other with Ivano Cecchini and Devon Ross from SD #43 (Coquitlam) They gave a well-appreciated presentation on a number of complex issues and experiences that SD #43 have faced over the past number of years and the projections of the future in their district.
• Climate Reaction/Energy Management by Trevor Bill SD #61 (Victoria) He gave a solid presentation on renewable energy 22
Ops Talk • Spring 2020
EFMA Executive Director Glenn Miller (right) with presenter Trevor Billy, Energy Manager SD #61 (Victoria)
and the reality of future energy conservation programs. Our last session was scheduled to be an open session for school district directors to give a few minutes each to talk about their experiences as a director in a school district, however due to unexpected travel schedule changes and the need for directors of school districts to return home to their district to deal with the concerns of COVID-19, we were unable to continue with the last session. Thank you to all who attended and to the presenters for doing such a great job. Thank you to Molly Shipowich for helping with all the logistics. n
