The District

The Cowichan Valley School District (School District 79) is one of 60 school districts in British Columbia. It covers an area from the east to west coast of south-central Vancouver Island. The current school district can trace its heritage to the Colony of Vancouver Island. Two school districts were established in the area prior to the colony joining mainland British Columbia.

South Cowichan School District was established on June 16, 1869. North Cowichan School District was established a year later on June 16, 1870. The current School District 79 was formed in 1996 when School District 65 (Cowichan) was combined with School District 66 (Lake Cowichan).

The Board office is located in Duncan. The publicly elected Board of Education consists of nine trustees who serve for a three-year term. The current Board’s term will finish in December 2008, following municipal elections in November 2008

The Students (updated February 2008)

• 4,329 elementary students
• 3,713 middle and secondary students
• 77 Adult Education students
• 37 Distributed Learning students
• 231 Alternate School students
• 1,275 Aboriginal students
• 14.1% of student population is Aboriginal
• 370 ESL students
• 122 apprenticeship/ACE-IT students
• 429 French Immersion students
• 50 International students

The Schools

We provide a comprehensive education program to 8,300 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 at 18 elementary schools, 4 middle schools and 4 secondary schools. The district also operates 6 alternate satellite sites as well as 2 adult education facilities and continuing education programs.

School populations range from 15 students at an annex to 1,168 at secondary school.

The Programs of Choice

Cowichan Valley Schools District offers a variety of programs of choice for students, including

• French Immersion
• Online Learning
• Career Programs (post-secondary partnerships)
• Self-Paced Delivery Program at Frances Kelsey Secondary
• Rural Traditional School
• International Education program
• Adult Education
• Partners in Learning at Chemainus Community School and Cobble Hill Elementary

Aboriginal Education

A major emphasis for the District is Aboriginal Education, with more than 14% of all students in the District identified as Aboriginal students. The District developed an Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement in 2001, in the spirit of improving Aboriginal student achievement. A second Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement is being developed with the guidance and support of the Hwulmuhw Mustimuhw Advisory Council.

A collaborative pilot project to develop a K-7 Aboriginal Education culture and language program that focuses on Aboriginal student achievement and grade-to-grade transition is under way in 2008.

The District staff include:

• Hwulmuhw Mustimuhw Aboriginal Support Workers
• District Principal
• Aboriginal Education Coordinator
• 6 Aboriginal Education teachers
• 5 English as a Second Dialect teachers

Budget

Almost 80% of the District’s budget is devoted to instruction.

Operating Budget $72.7 million

Capital Budget (annual facilities grant)XXXX

Breakdown:

Instruction$57,988,926

District Based Administration2,201,468

Operating & Maintenance8,481,024

Transportation & Housing2,211,491