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The BC Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association

Quality Leadership in Education Although the BCPVPA has been an autonomous professional association since January, 1988, the organization’s history dates back another 30 years as a Provincial Specialist Association (PSA) of the BC Teachers’ Federation. The BCPVPA is governed by an elected Board of Directors (President, either President Elect or Past President, and 10 directors). Three times per year, representatives from all BCPVPA Chapters convene at Chapter Council to provide guidance and direction to the Board; to prepare and receive reports; and to carry out activities assigned to it by the Board or by members at an AGM. The day to day business of the Association is directed by the executive director with five managers and six support staff. Today, the Association’s strategic priorities are:

  1. The BCPVPA will strive to ensure its members have the skills to be effective educational leaders;
  2. The BCPVPA will advocate for its members to have the time, resources and support to be effective educational leaders;
  3. The BCPVPA will work cooperatively with education partners to sustain and improve public education;
  4. The BCPVPA will proactively monitor emerging issues to inform, support and advise members;
  5. The BCPVPA will be recognized as an innovative, inclusive and vigorous community of educational leaders
  6. The BCPVPA will maintain a strong efficient and effective organization.

From its inception, the BCPVPA has worked to ensure that the views of principals and vice-principals are heard in all education matters. For instance, in 1989, the BC government planned to eliminate the School Regulations. Removal of the School Regulations would have taken away the statutory authority of the principal and vice-principal. Principals and vice-principals would be responsible for leading a school without the required authority — helpless with no statutory authority to act. The BCPVPA worked to obtain the support of all members of the Education Advisory Council of the time to convince government not to rescind the School Regulations. Since then, the Association has pursued several precedent setting legal cases through the Supreme Court and Appeal Court of BC to establish the right of principals and vice-principals to procedural fairness and due process, that is to establish that principals and vice-principals are entitled to be treated fairly in any matter relating to their contract of employment. While these cases eventually protected the individuals, they also established court precedents, which now protect each and every principal and vice-principal in the province. The BCPVPA lobbied the provincial government to ensure that the School Act guarantees that if a principal’s or vice-principal’s position is terminated, a teaching position will be offered. More recently, the Association has lobbied to have this section amended to ensure that the work as a principal/vice-principal will be counted as seniority. The Association works closely with its members to prepare background material and provide convincing arguments and support for contract discussions. In addition, Association staff work with district staff throughout the province to represent member interests and to advise them on working together for the benefit of both parties. Throughout its history, the BCPVPA has been the key player in the area of addressing the problem of building the knowledge, skills and abilities of all principals and vice-principals in the province.For every Ministry initiative, the Association has identified the professional interests of principals and vice-principals that had to be supported to make it work. Recent initiatives have included work around the implementation of Daily Physical Activity and Healthy Schools as well as conferences on Early Childhood Education. The Association, through its interaction with other stakeholder groups, has been able to influence them to consider the needs of principals and vice-principals. The ultimate strength of the BCPVPA is its strong membership base. We are effective because so many eligible principals and vice-principals have chosen to belong.