Dray sees good things in Valley schools

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

For Annapolis Valley Regional School Board superintendent of schools, Dr. Norman Dray, leaving his current position for retirement will be bittersweet.

“I love my work here, and it has been a pleasure to work with this board, the staff and educational community,” says Dray, adding “trying to make a difference for students is my passion.”

In the two-and-a-half years he has been with the board, Dray has been impressed with the fact “people in the Valley see education as a collaborative effort,” and with the partnerships that have been developed between the school board and organizations such as Annapolis Valley Health, Acadia University and NSCC, to name a few.

He has also been pleased literacy and math testing results indicate student learning is improving.

“While there is still work to be done, data shows that we are on the right path.”

Dray expects the coming year will bring considerable fiscal challenges to the school board.

“This year’s budget process was a tough one,” says Dray, “and, unless something changes, it will be same next year.”

He points out it has been three years since the province provided sufficient dollars to support the Valley board.

“This year, we received a 1.49 per cent increase as opposed to 5.4 per cent in 2005. We need three per cent just to maintain current levels of programming.”

The board was forced to dip into its surplus fund to the tune of $1 million to cover operational expenses and balance its 2008/ 09 budget, a fact which puts even more financial pressure on the budget process for the 2009/ 10 year.

“Spending surplus funds on operational expenses is not good financial practice, but we were in a position where we had no choice.”

Dray says the biggest challenge confronting the board will be to keep “learning as a priority in tough economic times.

“Regardless of the issues facing us, learning and student success must always be the focus.”

Dray will trade in his current position with the AVRSB in early 2009 for retirement and a part-time opportunity in Saskatchewan ,where his family resides.