Kathleen McConnell asked the candidates about family issues in the New Westminster election, focusing on two areas: what elected officials can do to help families, and specifically what changes candidates would advocate for if elected. This post focuses on answers from trustee candidates; a second post will follow focusing on mayor & council candidates.

Last round of municipal elections I had a four month old baby and while we made it to the polls, I remember vaguely choosing a mayoral candidate, and a few councillors I knew and liked, and that’s it. I didn’t select any school trustees because in my mind, there was no point. My child was a mere four months old and I didn’t think that a school trustee would have an impact on me. At least not until he made it to school, right? And even then we were considering …

Incumbent trustee Casey Cook believes New Westminster is on track in terms of programs of choice and the number of support programs offered, however he believes more planning is needed to improve decision-making, including strategic, communications, performance management and transparent budget management plans.

Improving communication with parent advisory councils, teachers and the community at large is a priority for trustee candidate James Pepa.

If elected, trustee candidate Jonina Campbell says she would initiate a task force aimed at improving physical and mental wellness, which would include initiatives to get more children walking and biking to school.

Trustee candidate MaryAnn Mortensen sees a lot to like in our school district, including a wide selection of programs of choice and many dedicated teachers and staff, but the biggest issue she sees is how decisions are made a the school board table.

Jim Goring wants to explore how New Westminster can better engage children and teachers in the future.

Brenda McEachern Keen would like to improve the structural readiness of our school district to improve its ability to take advantage of new opportunities for students. She’d also like to see improvements in project management of new school construction.

David Phelan wants the New Westminster School Board to keep the focus on creating the best education system possible, protecting what we do well and being aware of emerging trends in education that can help us improve, such as the introduction of School Learning Gardens, partnerships with community organizations such as the Royal City Farmers Market and new technologies that can support learning.

Trustee candidate Glen Richmond would like to see more play space for students, fewer portables and a return of the School Liaison Officer program.

Communication with the public and respectful dialogue among trustees are two areas where our school board needs improvement, according to veteran trustee Michael Ewen.

School trustee candidate James Janzen was the first to respond to the first Tenth to the Fraser all-candidates trustee candidates survey. The most important education-related idea or issue to James is ensuring choice for children and parents in public education.

School trustee candidate Lisa Graham supports proactive public engagement to better inform stakeholders, believing “meaningful discussion is informed discussion.”

At the first all-candidates school board trustee debate of the 2011 civic election, hosted by the New Westminster Teachers Union, emcee and Left Coast blogger Stacey Robinsmith had a bit of last-minute shuffling of tables and chairs to do. As he shoved the last one into place he quipped, “That’s CUPE work, sorry everybody!” Stacey got a good laugh for that zinger, but his little joke also reflected one of the contentious questions of concern to the (unfortunately somewhat sparse) crowd of union folk, council and mayor candidates and political axe-grinders.

Our kids can eat lunch in 15 minutes, but should they? New Westminster District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) wants to double the eating time for elementary and middle school children from 15 minutes to 30 minutes so that our kids can have more time to chew. In this week’s New West Wednesday, let’s talk about lunch: do you agree with DPAC that kids need more time to eat?

Hume Park Elementary has been on the chopping block multiple times (a few examples: in 2009, and again in 2010), and each time dedicated parents come to its’ defense and each time Hume Park gets voted to stay open and each time everyone breaths a sigh of relief.  Yesterday, I read that, once again, a trustee is putting forward a motion to consolidate Hume Park with it’s bigger brother up the hill, Richard McBride Elementary. The motion won’t get voted on without another trustee to second it but if it passes, once again …

The City of New Westminster just sent out the following news release about a new plan proposed for school construction in New Westminster. The proposal includes replacing Massey Theatre, keeping Mercer Stadium and adding a new sports field to the school that will be built on the former St. Mary’s Hospital site.

New Westminster parents of preschoolers and gradeschoolers who hoped to enroll their kids in programs of choice may need to adjust their plans, as School District 40 prepares to shuffle the locations of so-called ‘Programs of Choice’ – Early French Immersion and Montessori. It all comes into play in the fall of 2012, or when the new elementary and middle schools are ready.

The District Parents Advisory Council is on the warpath with a planned rally March 20 at City Hall and an online survey gathering opinions from New Westminsterites about our city’s school-building delays.

Strong Start, a provincially funded, free program for children under six and their parents, is expanding with a new afternoon program in New Westminster’s West End. The program is a gentle introduction to school for preschoolers through play-based learning.

The school district is currently gathering feedback on a series of “options” for where to locate New Westminster’s programs of choice (French Immersion and Montessori). The author of the report, Sandra Pace, has been very careful to say “I’m not making recommendations, I’m just presenting options.” Yet based on the information I saw at the Tweedsmuir presentation of Pace’s report, there are good reasons why this review is going on. It is dishonest for the district to ask parents to comment on all these “options” as though they are all equally viable.

Today I planned to take my kids up to Ready, Set, Learn at Tweedsmuir Elementary. Alas, I was led astray by bad information on an undated (and apparently stale) PDF on the School District website. I’m picking on the school district today, but this problem is endemic to New Westminster institutions.

A few times a week, I pack the kids across town from our home in the West End to Strong Start over at McBride Elementary in Sapperton. Wesley love, love, LOVES to go to “school” and I love, love, LOVE that it’s both free and fun for all of us.

When it comes to registration in “programs of choice” in the public school system, there must be a better way. In New West, we don’t have parents camping out on the sidewalk overnight to be the first in line to register their kids (thank goodness) but our method is still crazy. In New West, instead of having the insanity begin the year before a child enters school, it begins at birth. As soon as you have your child’s birth certificate, you can sign them up for the school and program you hope they will enjoy six years later. You can even sign them up for late French Immersion, 12 years in the future.

A theatre represents the heart of a community; a single performance can unite strangers and evoke a sense of belonging and understanding. New Westminster cannot lose its beloved Massey Theatre. During this period of economic breakdown and resulting budget cuts, we must continue to recognize what is integral to our city’s livelihood. Moreover, we cannot turn a blind eye to the many benefits this particular stage has provided to the students in our district. We must make every effort to preserve and save an aging building that has presented its users with so many opportunities throughout its sixty years of history.