6/24

I must go back and watch the movie, "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium," because that's kind of how I feel! I log onto my computer, and it shows Texas time. The agenda tells me what day it is, because I truly have no idea! Being in a different country, living and working in a castle (if only for 10 days or so), really changes your perspective. It is surreal.

Last night (Wednesday), we heard Mr. Ron Bonekamp speak. He is a member of the Limburgs voorgezet Onderwys, which is a Board of Directors that oversees secondary schools in the Limburg province. Mr. Bonekamp comes from the education side of the house, having served previously as a principal. Others who serve in similar roles may also come from politics or business. These directors are appointed by a Board of Supervisors which is *not* elected. The Board of Supervisors appoints new members whenever there is a vacancy, which means it is a "closed shop" so to speak. I can't imagine how a board is accountable to the public if there is no connection to democratic choice as to who is in power. One thing that has been interesting is that people seem to accept the way things are done as acceptable, though we have not had much contact with citizens on the street. 

The biggest challenge here seems to be decreasing population, resulting in decreasing numbers of students. The general public sentiment is that trust in schools has diminished, but expectations have increased. Accountability has increased dramatically. In the 1990's, all a school had to do was declare a need, and money was there to meet the need. There was equality in funding between public and private schools, so that if a public school asked for funding for a certain need, that funding was also given to private schools, just to be sure it was equal. There was a big move in the 1990's toward decentralization--less control by the government, and more control by the local schools. This required them to become more professional about how they managed schools (more businesslike). Foundations were created with professional boards of directors, such as the one of which Mr. Bonekamp is a member. The trend now, with the new administration in government (Christian Union Party) is in the opposite direction, with cries for more control by and accountability to the government. There is a desire for smaller schools (less bureaucracy), and the feeling is that the government cannot be held responsible for results if all the power goes to the schools.
This is very similar to political debate on education in the United States.

Full-time teacher work 1659 hours per year, preparing 750 lessons, with 450 hours of prep time and 100 hours of professional development. This leaves hours for things to accomplish at school, one of which could include service on the Participation Council of the school. Participation Councils include employees of the school as well as parents. The Participation Council advises the board of directors of the foundation which controls school funding. 

While schools are funded based on an October 1st head count of students (lump sum funding), the new government will give money for evidence-based results. The population is declining by 2.5% per year, which results in budget reductions. However, overhead costs cannot easily be cut in such small increments, so management is a challenge.

Class starting... more later!