They say that it takes a village to raise a child, something that the Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB) likes to remind citizens of through its website and promotional materials. And when you are trying to raise 50,000 children, as is HRSB, it requires that village to have a collective vision and belief for those children. Rallying around this vision is what has kept HRSB a successful and cohesive unit since it was formed in 1996 through the amalgamation of Nova Scotia’s Halifax, Dartmouth, and Halifax County-Bedford school boards. HRSB consists of 137 schools, 10,000 employees, and 50,000 students, spread out over a 3,000-square-mile radius.
“We have reporting structures and administrators coming together to make sure standards are being met, but that is not what ultimately makes it work. It is the common vision, and commitment by our staff to carry out this vision for students that makes the whole organization work,” said Carole Olsen, superintendent.
The vision that Olsen implemented upon joining the district in 2002 is as such: all students can learn and all schools will improve. For HRSB staff, this is not just a saying posted on the wall; it is a belief they strive to implement on a daily basis.
When it comes to school improvement, the process is a little more formal. Nine years ago, Planning for Improvement was established to help each school set personal goals and raise its own bar from the previous year. Olsen said because no two schools are the same, the idea is for an individual school to improve against its previous year, not compared to the other schools in the district. Staff members meet in teams to study past data, then develop goals and the strategies necessary to meet those goals. Professional development is offered both through off-site training and bringing in experts. Olsen said as the instructional leader, each principal is responsible for ensuring a plan is developed and implemented.
“It is a five-year cycle. Every year, we look at the measurable progress, then report out to the community so they know what improvements have been made and what we are still working on,” she said. “It is an open process with an open dialogue. And then when the five-year cycle is over, a new cycle begins.”
Building dreams
Because of it large setting, HRSB serves a very diverse student population, both in terms of geography and socio-economics. One way the district makes sure all students are being represented is through its 10-member governing board, which reflects the diversity in the community. For example, there is one member appointed from the First Nation community, and another elected from the African Nova Scotian community. The eight other board members are elected from districts within the jurisdiction.
“They bring the issues from their community to the table. So one board member talks about rural education and rural Nova Scotia, and another talks about inner-city related issues,” said Olsen. “We have created the ability to bring those voices to the board room and into my office.”
The district has also done a lot of work to promote diversity through professional development with staff members and programs with students. The district employs a coordinator of diversity management to make sure formal policies are being followed but also to make sure respect for different cultures is felt within the schools.
In 2007, Olsen and staff member Sheila Lucas created the Have a Dream guidebook for African Nova Scotian students to inspire them to pursue post-secondary educations. “Our student support workers told us they needed something to use as a guide for African Nova Scotian students, starting in middle school, that would show them and push them toward the opportunities beyond high school,” Olsen explained. “It is only one strategy among many, but I think it has made a big difference.”
Saving trees
With so many schools in its district, HRSB has to stay on top of its infrastructure. The one challenge that all Nova Scotia schools face is that they cannot use bond issues for capital projects; this funding must also come from the Department of Education.
The district has submitted a 10-year capital plan, but in the meantime, has found a different way to make improvements to its schools.
The district has spent $8 million in the past few years doing energy retrofit projects. Olsen said the cost of construction is eventually returned by money saved on energy costs. The district is hoping that the Department of Education will approve its entering into an energy performance contract for another $36 million of energy upgrades to be done over the next two years. If all of the scheduled energy retrofits are complete, it is estimated that the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from the district would equate to saving 36,000 trees or taking 1,500 cars off of the road.
“We would upgrade every school, pay for the capital costs out of energy savings, contribute positively to the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and teach students about what energy savings are and how they can become more sustainable in their own lives,” explained Olsen.
