(Randy Hildebrand)

The Hanover School Board held its annual planning session in Winnipeg this last weekend. Chair Randy Hildebrand says it was an opportunity to reflect on the past and then look ahead to improvements for the next year.
    
Hildebrand says trustees spent considerable time discussing the new report cards. He notes the province has put together new report cards and that prompted the board to discuss assessment.

"How do we assess our children in how they're doing in school," says Hildebrand. "And then how do we get that information to the best of our ability to the parents so they know how their child is doing."

Hildebrand says there are five schools right now that will pilot the new provincial report cards. He notes if things go well this year, then the report cards will be used by all Hanover schools next year.

Another topic discussed by the board was transportation.

"We have needs with our fleet," says Hildebrand. "We have five thousand students that we transport to and from school every day."

Hildebrand says as numbers continue to grow, the board will really need to consider how to work with buses and wheelchair accessible buses in order to get children to school on time.

Also, over the weekend, the school board took it's first look at the projected budget, something that won't be approved yet for a number of months.

Meanwhile, Hildebrand says it's a time of transition for the Hanover School Division. Superintendent Ken Klassen is stepping down January 1st. Randy Dueck has been hired to fill that position. That left a brief vacancy in one of the Assistant Superintendent positions, which was recently announced that Rick Ardies would fill. But Hildebrand says now Ardies' position as Principal of Green Valley school in Grunthal is left open.

"That's our number one priority over the next months," notes Hildebrand.