School Operations Services

Mike Paonessa,
District Principal

Helen Matsuba,
District Principal

Jerry Tymkow,
District Principal

School Operations Services provides a direct service to the 84 schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District. The department, which is a division of the Superintendent's office, consists of three District Principals and an Administrative Assistant. Their role includes services to principals, teachers, parents and students.

The District Principals also monitor schools in specific areas, such as finance, growth plans and provincial teaching quality standards. They are members of the district Staffing Committee, which oversees all staff placements during the staffing cycle. Finally, the District Principals provide a liaison role with the various departments within Edmonton Catholic Schools, each of the schools and various external government departments and agencies.

School Accountability to the District

1. School Growth Plan monitoring and feedback

2. District standards - including the monitoring of:

a. student achievement results

b. financial status of schools relative to district policies

c. staffing plan, staffing guidelines

d. policy alignment

e. provincial quality teaching standards

f. school hours of operation

Services to Principals

1. Advice, assistance and support

2. Advocate for principals

3. Access to Legal Counsel

4. Parent interventions

5. Mediation

6. Financial planning

7. Plan for staffing and class configurations

8. Critical Response Team coordination [grief counseling]

Superintendent's Office Representative

1. Suspensions and expulsions

2. Principal meetings, level Agenda Committee meetings

3. School Council Meetings

4. Parent/School issue meetings (where requested)

5. Principal supervision and assistance in performance appraisal

6. Crimestoppers

Program

7. District Committees

8. School Resource Officers (SRO program)

9. Careers: The Next Generation [Registered Apprenticeship Program- RAP]

Liaison

1. Religious Education

a. Promote the modeling of Core Values at our sites

b. Planning of District initiatives and Faith Development Day

2. Planning Department

a. Policy and Regulation review and development

b. Transportation; School Catchment areas and boundaries

c. District/Program planning

3. Human Resources

a. Staffing Committee

b. Individual staff issues

4. Facilities

a. IMP [Infrastructure Modernization Program] - minor modernization

b. School utilization issues

5. Learning Support Services

a. Curriculum changes and Program delivery

b. Student Assessment and achievement

c. Special education: deployment and school sites

6. Leadership Services

a. Leadership: Training and Development

b. Administrative selection and placement

7. Financial Services

a. Advise and Assist with the Budget Workbook

b. School financial management consultation

8. Technology Services

a. Enhanced communication with our sites

b. Interpretation of data to improve student learning

"The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is developing the ability of school personnel to function as professional learning communities."
Rick DuFour