CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – School trustee candidates came together for a forum on Friday and answered questions the District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) posed to them. The questions were posed to the candidates all at once, and each of them had 5 minutes to answer. The following are the highlights of each candidate’s answers to the following questions:
- Why do you want to be a school board trustee?
- What things must we get right in education over the next decade?
- What do you see as the role of schools in making sure that all Canadian students understand Canada’s history in terms of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples?
- What should be done to contribute to the overall mental health and well-being of students and staff at schools?
John Kerr
I’ve worked for 20 years in this district in a variety of schools, in three of the four outlying schools. In 2014, the lockout of teachers encouraged me to run as a school trustee. Throughout my career, I’ve always been concerned in building strong relationships between students and staff and trying to ensure the safety of all children in classes and teachers in schools, and the administration. I believe that all children must have the gift of safety in schools in order to perform to their potential.
Since safety is the primary need of all students in order to be successful, we should do all in our power that all students feel welcome in schools no matter their difference. This includes adequate funding and support for special needs students and addressing the issue of inclusion and acceptance for all, despite any differences in learning ability, sexual orientation and gender identity. I believe fully in the implementation of the new curriculum.
Christian Stapff
We need to have teachers become nimble and proficient and have kids learn skills.
A lot of jobs are going to change and disappear. How many kids have the confidence that they can go from one job and have the skills? Really important because if you don’t have the confidence, you won’t get that job. And I think teachers are the key ingredient to that. I’m a little biased there but I believe that teachers are the key ingredient to having our kids leave school with the skill sets that they need in the future, to go onto trades, to go on to university and be productive members of our society.
The role of schools is making sure Canadian students understand our history in terms of First Nations. There’s a lot of work to be done in that area, and I’m still learning. Residential schools, the stolen generation, the effects of torn communities. I worked in Zeballos for four years, and I can tell you the impact: it makes it really difficult for kids to learn. And they bring that impact to school. And we as teachers need to do our best to help.
We as school teachers must model behaviour we want other people to adopt. We also need to hold accountable students who don’t meet those expectations, so they treat other kids, other adults well.
Daryl Hagen
I signed the first First Nations agreement in the province – we bet the government 10% of our budget in that area, saying we can work together with First Nations and come up with a better program, and we did. Better grades, higher graduation rates. It’s exciting, it’s exciting work. We don’t get paid because of it, we just do it because we have a passion.
I’ve learned life isn’t perfect, but I’m gonna play the cards I’ve got. And that’s what I want to see instilled in our children in the classrooms: that life is worth living. Not only worth living, but you can excel with what you have. Play those cards; maybe they’re not the best, but play the game and play again. And that’s why I’m here. If you re-elect me as school trustee, I promise to work on your behalf so that children in the classroom can excel and for me, there’s nothing worse than human potential that’s wasted.
Joyce McMann
I think the challenge of our next decade will be to continue to fine tune our school district in ways that build on our insights into the way that people can be smart in so many different ways. We now are aware that there are multiple facets to intelligence and I think it’s partly, we’ve kind of neglected that. We’ve kind of focused on education as creating a success marker, you know the grade point average to get into UBC.
We now know that we need people with so many talents and skills and we need to embrace those and celebrate them within the school system that allows every child in the school to feel valued and feel that they can move through the world in a way that they will be effective communicators and contributors. I think that we have learned that one of the tenets of principles of Aboriginal ways of learning, the notion that learning is holistic, that learning is relationship-based, it is reflective, it is experiential. Those are contexts that we have learned to embrace from an Aboriginal way of knowing and we need to keep that going.
We need to move forward in the next ten years in terms of our ability to understand what Indigenous students need to succeed and to be able to provide them with that. And to look for direction from our Indigenous educational advisory committee in meeting the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation.
There are many ways in which the school district currently is weaving Aboriginal ways of knowing and Aboriginal technology and information into every area of our curriculum. And I think that is extremely precious, not only to Indigenous students who can see their culture valued, but also to non-Indigenous students who can celebrate the value of that historic knowledge.
Peter Sutherland
I’m a grandfather of 3, and father of 5. I’m passionate about education. I’m motivated by the desire to improve and encourage decision making in education. And I spent the last 45 years as a secondary school teacher. I’m a good listener, and I can meet and find goals working collaboratively with others. I’ll listen to your concerns, and find the solutions.
Why do I want to be a school board trustee? I’m passionate, educated, and qualified to do the job. I really will be able to work on your behalf and on behalf of your children and the community.
In ten years, grade twos will be graduating – they’re the ones that will be looking after our families, community, and our country. Let’s empower those children so that they can have success on a global scale.
I think we have to learn how to listen – we need to listen to the elders and hear their stories. That’s probably the only way we can collaborate and create that new future that we want to get to.
We need to ensure safe and caring environments where all voices are heard. Trust and relationships are key to success for all of us. And they build that sense of self-confidence and well-being that we need to instill in our children.
Richard Franklin
I have to say, I’ve had a really rich and fulfilling career. I love my work. I love to do research. I love to learn and throughout my career, I was publishing articles, directing a journal, and doing that kind of work. People see me and they say, you’re good with policy work, you’re always thinking about policy and how you can do things better – and it’s true.
In 2007, I was chosen by the Canadian Association of Principals as Principal of the Year for Canada, and that was because of my work in developing strong school cultures. Where I did a lot of that work was at Cedar School, where we had a varying substantial population of Indigenous learners. When I got to Cedar, there’s some things I recognized; not to disparage the principal before me, but I knew there was a lot of Indigenous students but there was nothing in the school that looked Indigenous at all. So what I did was I went out down to a house in Treasures and I asked for some calendars, and they gave them to me for free. I cut those calendars up and I framed them and I put them all over the schools so that when Indigenous kids came to school, they would say “this is the place I want to be.”
Kids need to feel that they belong. And you can do whatever you can to make them feel they’re welcome there at that school. And the other things that we other things at Cedar were just graphics. We were told with these kids, don’t expect too much. Well, our kids topped the reading scores and writing scores that year. Because we believed that the First Nations kids could do it. And that’s what we need to do when we’re working with people, working with kids: is that you have to believe and give them the support that they need in order to succeed.
I do find that there are very difficult decisions to be made at the school district level. We’ve made some really tough ones over the last few years. And what it really requires is for someone to listen, listen, listen. Research, research, research. And then come up with the best decision that you can bring as an individual trustee. That’s all you can really do. You’re not always going to please everybody, but what is the central decision-making piece that you have to think about? Well, in the end, our main client are the students. So we have to think about – at the root – what is it that we think is best for those kids?
Vanessa MacLean
I want to be a school board trustee because I care about the rights, freedoms, protection, education and social upbringing of our children. Our children will be running the country in the future and their well-being and health are of utmost importance, if our nation is to be a great nation in the future. There have been certain dilemmas and programs creeping into our schools through the back door without parental input or knowledge and this is disturbing and unjust to say the least.
Secondly, I also want greater transparency with regards to budgeting and finances. I believe that it needs to be more clear and easier to understand on our website. I also desire to see more age-appropriate resources, especially pertaining to sex education in our schools as many parents are becoming very concerned with the over-sexualization of our children and the lack of transparency in what’s being taught surrounding sex ed.
I also desire to uphold our basic fundamental freedoms and rights as ingrained in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Students and faculty deserve to be part of an education where they do not have to fear sharing their own beliefs and perspectives because when this happens, no one feels comfortable and this makes for a terrible learning environment. As University of Toronto professor and free speech advocate Jordan Peterson stated: “free speech is the mechanism by which we keep our society functioning.” In order to be a part of a free democratic society as outlined in our BC School Act, we must guarantee everyone to the fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression. Great education has its foundation on these promises. And as school board trustees, we must keep this promise.
Andrew Beaudin
I’m well aware of the many challenges today’s children face. I raised my two children here and they went through the school system. My wife of 25 years had her children go through the system in Powell River. And together, we have 12 grandchildren who we love very much and want to see that they’re educated in a proper way. So I do have invested interests in being a school trustee.
Children are so precious. I believe that every child should be supported to achieve whatever they need. I believe that every child should be given a belief of hope in themselves, in who they are, in who they can become through their education. But there are resources and lessons now being incorporated into our children’s schooling that I believe are harmful to every child and every family. We as parents, grandparents, and concerned citizens need to have increased voice to the education of our children through teamwork, and community mindedness and encouragement with a keen interest in coaching.
As a trustee, I will do my best to ensure that happens. I am eager to work with other trustees to create a positive and cohesive team bringing accountability and transparency to the process. Give parents and students a voice and to equip our students to be successful. I am committed to caring and safe schools for all. Economic balance and creating a community where students can thrive and the community voices respected, and heard. I think I have a lot to offer and I will be honoured to serve the students, parents, teachers, and taxpayers of Campbell River and School District 72.
Each child is unique, each child they have challenges that through a caring and safe school concept can help each one creatively. There are more and more children with autism and other difficulties that are important for our school system to deal with at least to give them a fair shake at life. Education needs to be geared, I believe, towards training and apprenticeship.
Manfred Hack
I came to Canada in ‘56. I came in August and I started school in grade 6 in September. All the kids were staring at me and talking to me, but I didn’t answer because I didn’t understand English. So I started the first day of grade 6 with no English. But I went to grade 7, qualified to go to grade 7. That’s why I appreciate teachers. I appreciate the education system that helps students.
In grade 10, I was fortunate to have a principal and a teacher. On my first day, I didn’t even have a chance to get into trouble. He called me into his office, came into his office and he said “sit down.” And he said “Manfred, I know you’re not stupid. The things you’re passionate about, you excel. And the things you don’t like, things you don’t do well in at all, so every day, we’re going to have half an hour of tutoring.” I am so grateful to the Lord that this man spoke into my life. He took the time to speak into my life and said that “Manfred, you can become whatever you want. You have what it takes.”
We have an opportunity in the school system to tell children we’ll touch their passion, touch what they want in life. I believe everybody has a goal, everybody has something unique about them. My goal is to help and assist the education system to reach them, to encourage them. I appreciate what Richard (Franklin) did, he put those native signs around the school, because it makes them comfortable. There’s nothing worse than going into school and feeling it’s hostile.
I’m running for school trustee because I believe we can make a difference. I’ve lived in Campbell River since ‘79. I’ve seen my children go to school here. And I’ve got a grandson who went to school here and he suffered from autism. He was discharged and thrown out of two schools in this school system. But I am grateful to one teacher.. I’m thankful for what he did for my grandson.
I know the importance of teachers because we need them; we need to speak into our children’s lives, that they’re significant… that they’re not just an accident. That they have something to contribute. I really believe in building children up and giving them the opportunity that’s within them.
Linda Jay
I’ve been an educator for most of my life. My experience is with kids that have come out of school and are entering into the secondary system. I first was a school board trustee in the 2011-2014 term, where I had the opportunity to work with some excellent people. I think we’re very very fortunate in this area to have wonderful trustees who have maintained and have encouraged our school system. It’s really one of the finer school systems that I have had the pleasure to work with.
As a qualified educator, I have a Master’s in education, one of the things I do is every year I work with teacher educators so I’ve been watching the evolution of teacher education for about 12-13 years. In that time, I’ve seen the development of curriculum that has come forward, that is intended to create inclusive space for kids to learn, for kids to feel safe. I’ve also seen the development of the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations; I was in Ottawa when Justice Sinclair revealed the Truth and Reconciliation condition judgements. We all felt a huge passion that day, that a piece of Canadian history had been missing and that we owe it to all Canadians to boost this history and to also become a part of the solution.
As well as having the perspective of education – first of all, thinking about educational curriculum that is student-centred; in other words, it’s all about kids. I applaud what trustee Hagen has said: it really is about taking care of the fact that kids are there and they’re learning. We also have an obligation, I believe in the school district, to work with parents. I believe that as parents, what we don’t want is to have an institution that comes between the parent-child relationship. It’s critical that kids grow up respecting their parents, and that their friends respect their parents and it’s critical that we have kids that grow up in the safety of families and schools and communities. And part of that of course, is we need to have acceptance all the way around.
I’m a strong believer that there’s an inner light inside every human being. That we all have a vision of ourselves, that then comes out because we’ve been encouraged to grow and learn to become the very best person that we can. And even when any of us had a harsh time or a difficult time, we’ve fallen down a few times, it makes a big difference that friends, family, our schoolmates and our community is there to support us so that we can continue to carry on in our lives.
Kat Eddy
Professionally, I’m the executive director of the Campbell River Literacy Association. I’ve worked in adult literacy for 11 years. I really see the tail end of an education system that did not provide what it needed to to our students. I have adults coming to me looking to restart their educational process sometimes, as 50 or 60 year olds.
I strongly believe in a community approach; I think that we need to take education from being a service to being a partnership with our community members and our community organizations. We don’t have all the answers to the social ills of our kids and our families but in our community, we do have partners that can help. We must create welcoming environments that support every parent and caregiver and I want to highlight the word “caregiver” because not every child is living in a two-person or a standard home. We have a lot of that kids that live in care, we have a lot of kids that are being raised by their grandparents, these are non-traditional family structures. We need to honour that; we need to find a way to support those caregivers as they raise their children or grandchildren or foster children.
We must inspire our educators to take risks when it comes to technology. The world is changing. We live in a very rural environment; we need to prepare our children to meet the technological needs ahead, so that they can carve out a career and a future for themselves.
We must find financial means to further develop the capabilities of our students with exceptional needs. We must expand specialty services such as speech therapy and learning assessment, so that we can provide services to all of our children.
I had an amazing experience; I had the opportunity to attend Orange Shirt Day at the Big House. There was an incredible turn out and we had the opportunity to hear a survivor tell her story. It was so moving and so powerful. We need to honour the experiences of those survivors and their families. We need to share the history with our entire society and not just the history post-European settlement. We need to share the history of the First Peoples. We need the leaders of our First Nations communities to step forward and share their knowledge with us so that we can in turn share it with our children.
Learning comes through relationships. Learning is about a teacher or an educator taking the time to personally get to know that child’s strengths and weaknesses and developing curriculum and learning objectives that meet their needs.
Ted Foster
I’m retired, but I feel like I have something to offer. I believe children are our future. To ensure their success, we have to apply ourselves to helping them and steering them in the right path. I have never been a teacher – I don’t have the temperament to be, but I admire those who do that. But as trustees, we all have different things in our toolbox and one of the things that I bring is an extensive business background.
I’ve been involved with Mt. Washington pretty much from day one up there – I’ve been a significant shareholder and director up there for the last 25 years.
As to why I’m running for school board trustee: this is my 5th election. I’ve been successful 3 times. One time, I was close, and this time I hope that I can get back in. I have served as vice chair of the school board for the last four years. I enjoy the whole trustee experience. The sense of helping students, helping the young, gives me a chance to stay in touch, to keep a sharp mind, meet good people, and it feels very good when you’re part of the defense and the reason of our community’s children.
