By Chris Beach

Politics

The Northern View – School District 57 by-election

Jun 7, 2023 | 1:50 PM

On June 17 there will be yet another by-election for two seats on School District 57’s Board of Education.

Ten people have stepped up and put their names forward to run for those two seats, which is a great thing to see so many people in the community interested in serving on the board.

And if one ever needed a reason to turn out to vote for a school board by-election, now would be the time. Just in the last few months we’ve seen two trustees resign, one of them serving on the board since 2011, and the latest school superintendent let go in only her second year on the job.

If you go back a few more years, there have been numerous other controversies and even more resignations. If my math is correct, we’ve now had seven superintendents in the last seven years.

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So as a community we really should be paying attention to this by-election and making sure we participate. While the curriculum gets set by the provincial government, the local school board sets budget priorities, is responsible for teacher recruitment and retention, and can have a significant impact on the learning environments that our local students spend 9 months a year in.

Students’ experience in the classroom is one of, if not the, most influential factors in what values and attitudes they develop and what they end up doing with their lives.

It’s not really surprising if you think about it, because children spend more time, in school classrooms growing up than virtually anywhere else.

And even if you don’t have children, it’s the students in our schools that will be our future doctors, nurses, engineers, snowplow drivers and business owners, in short, all the people you and I will rely on every day to make sure the community of Prince George functions and thrives.

But unfortunately, in the last school board by-election the winning candidate was elected with less than 10 per cent support of eligible voters in the district. So, you should try to catch the all-candidates forum tomorrow night at Vanier Hall to help you make an informed decision on who to vote for.

And in the very least, please show up next week to vote at one of the local designated schools to make sure your voice is heard on such an important local matter.

I’m Chris Beach and this is the Northern View

Editors note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of Pattison Media.