b'ManitobaUpdate2019-2020 Annual Report to the CSBA Board of Directors CSBA Manitoba Update, 2019-2020 information for students and parents, and frequently The twelve months from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 was aasked questions.MSBAs own website served as a central period of unparalleled challenge and activity for school boardsrepository for information about school board meetings as across Canada, most notably during the final quarter. Butmost moved from in-person to virtual sessions at the start of while school boards in every province and territory worked tothe pandemic. There have been many, many meetings since minimize the impact of the pandemic on students, staff andMarch, and the information and recommendations relating to community, they did so in a way that was responsive to localCOVID-19 have evolved alongside understanding of the virus. circumstances, and while still taking care of business as usual.The resulting uncertainty has been challenging and at times This is a recap of Manitobas year in review. frustrating, but the process has underlined the important role that all education partners, including school boards, play in an On the provincial front agile, responsive and effective school system.A late summer election in September 2019 saw a returnInternal operations and other newsto power of the Progressive Conservative Party.With itsThe association worked with federal officials over the past renewed mandate, the government continued to workyear to ensure that school boards in the province were able towards its priorities. For education, these included furtherto access a total of $5.4 million to support green projects as reductions in administrative costs for school divisions. In somepart of the Climate Initiative Action Fund. With the signing of cases, this translated to the elimination of actual positions.the agreement after the October federal election, funds began Government also placed a freeze on the filling of vacantto flow, and by summer over half of the money had been administrative positions, unless expressly authorized bydistributed to school divisions. government.One government priority that was put on hold is the releaseWith the anticipated release of the report of the Manitoba of the report of the K-12 Education Review Commission.K-12 Education Review Commission in March, our ongoing It was originally scheduled for release in March, withawareness campaign, Local Voices, Local Choices, was a priority recommendations to be implemented in the followingfor the association. A province-wide radio campaign on the months. As announced by the Minister of Education atimportance of local school boards was launched early in 2020. our March Convention, release of the report was put onWhen in-school learning was suspended, we developed a hold indefinitely, and the implementation of any majorvideo that spoke to the ways in which school divisions were recommendations delayed until summer 2021 at the earliest. continuing to support students and families, and a second video highlighted ways student achievement and milestones were Pandemic response being celebrated. If there is one silver lining to the pandemic for school boards, it is their increased visibility and recognition Since the start of the pandemic, MSBA has been at anin the public sphere. President Alan Campbells voice and face operational all-time high even as staff moved to workinghave become regular fixtures in local media, and many news from home. The labour relations and risk managementstories have highlighted the key role school boards are playing departments have been especially involved in helping schoolat this time. Videos, media links, and other information can be divisions deal with the immediate and longer term fallout offound at www.localvoices.ca. the pandemic and related safety and human resource matters.In addition to providing individualized support to schoolManitoba was fortunate in that we were able to hold our divisions, members of these departments and the executiveannual March convention according to plan. The first case of office of the association have been active participants inandCOVID-19 in the province was announced on March 12, the first in many cases leaders ofa coordinated provincial responseday of convention. With so many key players already gathered, planning effort.the event became a venue for the sharing of rapidly evolving information and joint decision-making. Going forward, our Fall Results of that coordinated effort can be found in theGeneral Meeting in November will be a virtual event, while no documents on Manitoba Educations COVID-19 website. Thesedefinite decision has been made for Convention 2021.include guidelines for restoring safe schools in September,'