PBENB
PBENB
Big Picture
PBENB has a working web presence, but the operating system behind the website is fragmented. The hosting environment is outdated and site isn't optimized. As well, there’s no single view of tools, costs, or risk, and performance (20s loads) slows member access and staff work. With a small amount of structured effort, the site can move from “fragile and slow” to “stable, measured, and easy to hand off” for future councils and staff.
Strength
Solid foundation: WordPress core is current, PHP is up to date and the site is bilingual.
Annual spend is lean; most paid tools can be rationalized to be removed without loss of function.
Clear ownership path: backups exist and the admin panel is accessible for structured clean-up.
Opportunity
Turn on analytics and basic reporting so leadership can see traffic, engagement, and trends.
Consolidate the plugin stack (one builder, one optimizer, one backup) to reduce load time and maintenance risk.
Review hosting and compare better hosting environments for optimal website performance.
Introduce a proper newsletter tool and a simple data-export/import SOP so membership communication isn’t manual.
Add a managed caching layer and increase PHP memory to stabilize Elementor pages.
Without action: members wait on slow pages, search engines can’t see key content, and staff time is lost to manual work.
With action: page loads drop under 3s, renewals and communications move faster, and leadership gets a live dashboard for status and spend.
Financially: trimming redundant plugins and adopting one-per-purpose saves ~$150–$300/yr; the larger win is time (5–8 hours/mo) and reduced risk.
Approve and execute the 30/60/90:
30 days: Enable caching, raise PHP memory to 512M, disable “discourage indexing,” update/verify backups, select one image optimizer, remove legacy/unused plugins.
60 days: Replace sliders with a static hero, consolidate Elementor add-ons, implement GA4 and a basic traffic report, stand up MailerLite and import contacts from Jotform.
90 days: Consider moving to a different hosting company / managed WP host, turn on monthly uptime/performance reporting, finalize a short SOP and staff handoff.
Parents for Bilingual Education in New Brunswick (PBENB)
Last updated: October 17, 2025
🔴 Critical 🟠 High 🟡 Medium 🟢 Low
This snapshot shows where PBENB stands today. Use the sections below for the stack, risks, licenses to trim, and the 30/60/90 plan.
Tech Stack Snapshot
| Category | Platform | Status | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Shared Apache server under howardscove.ca | Active | 🔴 Critical | Shared resources causing load >20s |
| Other | THEME – Custom “PfBE (wpel)” (Envato base) | Active | 🟠 High | Heavy Elementor + LayerSlider dependencies |
| Page Builder | Elementor + Elementor Pro | Active | 🟠 High | Overlapping add-ons slowing site |
| Caching | Disabled | Missing | 🔴 Critical | Enable WP_CACHE + caching plugin |
| Images | Multiple inactive plugins | Conflicting | 🟠 High | Choose one optimizer (WebP or Smush) |
| Other | SEO – “Discourage search engines” enabled | Missing | 🔴 Critical | Site invisible to Google |
| Other | DATABASE – MariaDB 10.11 (99 MB) | Active | 🟡 Medium | Clean unused tables post-plugin removal |
| Security/Backups | CookieYes + Starfield SSL | Active | 🟢 Low | Fine, just update versions |
| Security/Backups | UpdraftPlus (outdated) | Active | 🟢 Low | Update and test backup integrity |
Top Risks & Quick Wins
🔴 Critical Caching disabled
Impact: Every page re-renders server-side
Do next: Enable WP_CACHE + caching plugin (Effort: S, ETA: 1 days)
🔴 Critical PHP memory 128M
Impact: Elementor & sliders fail/slow
Do next: Increase to 512M (Effort: S, ETA: 1 days)
🔴 Critical Indexing discouraged
Impact: Invisible to Google
Do next: Disable “Discourage search engines” (Effort: S, ETA: 0 days)
🟠 High Plugin bloat/outdated
Impact: Security + performance risk
Do next: Remove inactive; update core stack (Effort: M, ETA: 5 days)
🟠 High Shared hosting
Impact: Slow TTFB
Do next: Migrate to managed WP host (Effort: M, ETA: 7 days)
Paid Licenses
| Plugin | Purpose | Annual Cost | Status | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementor Pro | Additional Features above the regular Elementor Theme | $99.00 | License Expired | Cancel | not needed unless it requires pro features, |
| LayerSlider | Slides | $28.00 | License Expired | Cancel | redundant/cheaper alternatives |
| Slider Revolution | Slides | $56.00 | License Expired | Cancel | redundant/cheaper alternatives |
| Total Annual Spend | $183.00 | ||||
Removal Candidates
| Plugin | Reason | Action | Replacement | Risk | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LayerSlider | Duplicate | Remove | none | 🟡 Medium | M | export any slides if needed. |
| Slider Revolution | Heavy | Remove | static hero/cover block | 🟡 Medium | M | |
| Envato Elements and Envato Market | Not Used | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | |
| License for Envato | Legacy Theme | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | |
| Happy Elementor Addons, Essential Addons, Mega Elements | Duplicate | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | |
| mage Optimizer, reSmush.it, Speed Optimizer (inactive) | Duplicate | Remove | ck one optimizer (e.g., Optimole/Smush/ShortPixel) | 🟢 Low | S | |
| WPvivid Backup | Duplicate | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | |
| Akismet | Duplicate | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | if comments closed sitewide) |
| CMSMasters suite (CMSMasters Content Composer, Mega Menu, Donations, etc., all inactive) | Legacy Theme | Remove | — | 🟢 Low | S | |
| Duplicate | Remove | — | 🔴 Critical | S |
30 / 60 / 90 Day Plan
Next 30 days
30: Enable caching; raise memory; allow indexing; update UpdraftPlus; pick one image optimizer; enable safe auto-updates.
Next 60 days
60: Replace sliders with static hero; consolidate Elementor add-ons; add GA4; stand up newsletter + import process.
Next 90 days
90: Migrate to managed WP host; monthly perf/uptime report; short SOP + staff handoff.
