WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Q1: Who am I?

I am a wife, mother, grandmother; piano teacher, Music Festival Adjudicator and Conservatory Examiner; small business owner in Langley since 1984; church musician.

Q2: Why am I running for school board trustee? What experiences have you had that qualify you to serve in this capacity?

As a trustee, I want to bring hope and stability to disadvantaged students and to COVID-weary teachers and support staff. I have a history of serving in leadership roles in many spheres.

Q3: Why should I be on the Langley School Board of Trustees?

Because I have proven collaborative skills as well as leadership ability. What can be more important than the future of our children? I  understand this well.

Q4: Do I have any experience in education?

I have teaching experience, private tutoring in music. pre-school music classes, teaching pedagogy to piano teachers. With my own children I have homeschooled, enrolled them in independent school and in also in public school. This gives me a close-up view of education from all angles, and an evaluation the pro’s and con’s of each.

Q5: What are my policy stances?

1. Help teachers and support staff deal with the ever-changing pandemic conditions by collaborating on thoughtful, effective solutions.
2. Find ways to help the most vulnerable students to thrive.
3. Strongly advocate for capital and operating funding for SD35; then wisely allocate those available funds for the betterment of the community.

Q6: How do you plan to foster positive relationships with parents & teachers over the remainder of this term?

There is no substitute for taking time to listen to diverse voices! This practice always better informs our considerations and thus, our decisions. I have always been highly engaged with people, and feel well-equipped to become informed by multiple competing perspectives of diverse parties.

Q7: Do I believe controversial material should be taught in public schools? If so – should parents be notified and be given the option to opt their children out of such classes/discussions?

It is not the role of the school to teach students a particular view on any controversial topic. A high-school teacher could tackle such a topic as an example of an honest debate of differing views. I was happy that my own high-school age children participated in these types of debates and felt that the challenge was good for them. The school should never supersede the parent as the student’s final authority. Therefore, parents have the right to have their children opt out of any questionable class. As a trustee, I would welcome the role of advocate for any parent who felt this principle had been violated.

Q8: What sort of responsibility do you believe the board has in the overall community?

The board is tasked with providing the best education possible for our future citizens. Period.

It is the board’s mandate to uphold high standards for measurable outcomes and for what is difficult to measurable: positive atmosphere in the schools. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the board to set policy for effective and efficient operation of schools, to approve the school district’s operating budget, to prepare capital plans and then advocate for their fulfillment.

The board also has the responsibility of hearing appeals from parents and students.  It is here that my skills will be most useful.

Q9. Should the School Board increase bus access?

I have heard from many concerned parents about the issue of lack of bus access in areas where walking to school is unsafe, such as Willoughby and the D W Poppy catchment area. The complaint is that parents are not being heard and their complaint is passed back and forth without any solution. This issue requires attention and I will be tenacious at getting to a solution. Common sense must win out! Children must not be put in danger.

Q10. Is the School Board still relevant? 

Absolutely.  That’s because you are best governed at the closest level to you!  if you have a concern, do you want to call someone in Victoria?  Or me, your friendly neighbourhood Langley School Trustee?  We must preserve this level of governance.
But how?  By making sure that Langley School Board is a working board.  Not one that rubber-stamps committee work or that  passes off difficult decisions to other governing bodies.

So – don’t allow the school trustee position to be a place holder for people who just want to move on! The answer: elect a serious person who actually cares about Langley’s public school system and it’s taxpayer!