Southeast Resource Development Council
The Southeast Resource Development Council is the umbrella organization within which the Southeast Tribal Division for Schools, functions. The Council provides other services to the participating bands besides education. The Southeast Tribal Division for Schools was the FIRST Native School Division in Manitoba.
Southeast Tribal Divison Participants
Little Black River First Nations - - - - - Chief Sheldon Kent
Little Grand Rapids First Nations - - - -Chief Raymond Keeper
Poplar River First Nations - - - - - - - - Chief Vera Mitchell
Pauingassi First Nations - - - - - - - - - - Chief Joe Owen
Establishment of The Southeast Tribal School Division Purpose
The Southeast Resource Development Council is made up of and was established by nine First Nations with the Chiefs as Board of Directors. The First Nations are: Poplar River, Buffalo Point, Little Black River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, Bloodvein, Berens River, Hollow Water and Brokenhead. The Chiefs and Councillors of each Band decided to take action on education, so they initiated an educational research program to be conducted in their communities. For over a year, this research has continued to analyse each community, their school, their students and parents, and what effect these have on their system of education. The conclusion was that an establishment of a school division in the Southeast Region of Manitoba, would enhance a uniform structure of education for all these communities, and still maintain the practical concept of "Local Control of Education." This proposed school division will utilize the Manitoba School Act as a quasi-rule, and the means in delivering education.
Rationale
Native communities have always maintained that they should be responsible for determining the goals of Education, but meaningful process was never made available. Our First Nations goals are to manage programs that are directly affecting them. In order for these communities to become self-governing, they must be given the responsibility to control and decide on programs, so that they will learn and understand how to manage, plan and control their own affairs. This comes from the very concept of self-determination, to benefit local communities, by negotiating and working with Federal and Provincial governments. Under this school division, the Board of Directors will come from the local communities and thus they will understand local needs. The underlined goal is to provide a better quality of education, plus a more meaningful program to the parents, the children and the community.
Committment
The School Division is committed in its quest to have meaningful local participation of communities, by making decisions directly or indirectly on its overall directions. The School Division is committed to the self-determination process and government by each First Nation. The School Division is committed to its stated goals and objectives through the financial and human resources made available from I.N.A.C. and/or the S.E.R.D.C. Board. Again, the School Division is committed to the establishment of an educational program that is meaningful for the Native child, the Native parent and the Native community.
Implementation
Our School Division officially began in the Fall of 1981. The initial participant communities for the first year were the following: Poplar River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, Bloodvein and Little Black River. In the following years, the other member communities can be phased into the division should they desire sub-management and admininstration of their education program. Our proposal was to see all communites within the Southeast area participate in this school division, but as long as meaningful control is held by each First Nation with any School Division, S.E.R.D.C. Education Program would achieve its goal.
Added Feature
The School Division is similar to a tribal reunion because the communities invloved will be comprised mainly of Saulteaux Native people. This is a unique school division which will bring Saulteaux Native people closer together through educational concerns; such as decision making in educational matters, sharing ideas and experiences in education programs, sports and social gatherings, and a re-emphasis of the Saulteaux language. Communication will play a key part in this organization, helping it grow stronger and healthier. The communities also have kinship ties amongst each other.
Operational Structure of the School Division
The School Division is composed of four participant schools. The participants schools have a local school board in each community, and each local school board is responsible for the education of the students at the local community level, and to make sure that the education system is funcitioning the way they would desire it. These local school boards are working boards for the band government, and the highest level of band government is the Chief and Council. The Tribal Council's highest level of government is the Board of Directors of the Tribal Council, which is composed of nine Chiefs representing the nine communities within Southeast region. The four Chiefs and their School committees make decisions regarding Divisional concerns and the recommendations of policy that is consistent with the other schools' objectives. The total Tribal Council Board ratifies Educational policy. The Board of Directors appoints an Educational Director, and all the other educational workers are on a competition basis. The way the School Division operates is to work along with other Tribal Council programs, and maintain the education program as a separate entity legally, although S.E.R.D.C. Inc. is now the "Mother Organization" encompassing the other program incorporations.
Goals & Objectives
Educational Philosophy
"Statement from Policy Manual"
Long Term Goals or Direction
To develop schools that have the following characteristics:
1. An atmosphere that is positive.
2. High expectations of what students can achieve.
3. A consistent and clear method of measuring students achievement.
4. Teachers who provide instructional leadership, are enthusiastic and show real concern for the students.
5. A systematic structured curriculum.
Short Term Goals:
1. Develop a well planned, systematic and consistent approach to reading.
2. More training for teachers in the area of Native Language, culture and history.
3. Work with the School Committees in clarifying thier role and responsibility in the school
and community.
Student Services:
1. Develop a closer working relationship between our schools and Student Services
Counsellors.
2. Encourage a consistent, fair and documented approach to selection of being sponsored.
3. Work with those involved in the Riverton project and the proposed Winnipeg Housing Development.
Adult Education and Special Projects:
1. Encourage development of training and upgrading for adults in our communities.
2. Continue to develop Industrial Arts & Home Ec. & Life Skills programs
The Education Program is decentralizing to each local School Board by having the local boards hire their own teaching staff. The local principals are in charge of ordering their own curriculum materials, with local School Board's approval.
The Education Program will endeavour to provide resources to encourage Self-Determination Concepts for each First Nation School.
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