Trustee candidates talk technology, special needs and student achievement

School trustee candidates answered questions about how to support Aboriginal students, technology in the classroom, teacher professional development, student achievement and special needs funding at the Nov. 14 all candidates meeting in Sechelt sponsored by Coast Reporter.

Voters in Sechelt will pick two trustees, while Gibsons voters will elect one trustee. Those in area two, which consists of the Sechelt Indian Government District, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone and West Howe Sound, will elect three trustees.

Pender Harbour and Halfmoon Bay will not vote for a trustee, as Lori Pratt won that seat by acclamation.

Sechelt

Candidates Erin Brooks-Wilson, Erin Lane, Dave Mewhort, Lennea Perpet and Christine Younghusband did their best to earn one of Sechelt's positions.

Brooks-Wilson and Lane said they felt Aboriginal students could be best supported with individualized education plans, while Mewhort said the key is better consultation with the Sechelt Indian Band.

Perpet said mutual respect and honesty are crucial, and Younghusband said she would like to see First Nations' culture incorporated more into the school culture.

"When the content is not personally relevant, then we face high-risk kids," Younghusband said.

On the issue of technology in the classroom, Brooks-Wilson, Lane, Perpet and Younghusband noted technology is a tool but is no replacement for a teacher. Mewhort said he believes School District No. 46 (SD46) has fallen behind in technology and schools need faster Internet service.

Younghusband, Perpet and Mewhort were all for letting teachers take charge of their own professional development while Brooks-Wilson and Lane thought there should be a balance between teachers and the province deciding on professional development.

All felt they were accountable for how money is allocated to student achievement.

Brooks-Wilson, Lane, Mewhort and Perpet said they would advocate for more funding for special needs students and Younghusband noted the issue is not just about money but also about time being devoted to special needs students.

Gibsons

Incumbents Fran Heppell and Silas White vied for the single Gibsons position.

Heppell said she would listen and communicate to help Aboriginal students succeed, while White noted the approach should be multi-faceted and include building relationships, individualized learning tools and engaging programs.

When the issue of technology was brought up, Heppell called herself a Luddite and added teachers come first.

White said the school system needs to adapt to new technology and noted it goes hand in hand with good teaching.

Both Heppell and White felt that teachers are professionals and they should be in charge of their own professional development, but White took it a step further, saying local collaborative programs for teachers are important.

White and Heppell both said they would be accountable for how money was spent on children in the district, and White talked about the need for local ways to monitor student success.

Both said they would advocate for full funding of special education, and White noted he has already been working in that area.

"I was appointed to that BCSTA funding formula committee with about nine other board chairs in the province and on behalf of our board made the case very strongly that we need fully-funded special education in our province," he said.

Area two

Incumbents Jason Scott and Greg Russell had some tough competition from candidates Betty Baxter, Lori Dixon, Claudia Ferris, Diane Hill and Larry Koopman for the three spots available in area two.

Dixon said to support Aboriginal students she would show up, listen, ask questions, report to the board and work on achieving goals.

Ferris said a community school approach would help reach out to Aboriginal students, while Hill said she would support the work already being done in the district's Aboriginal program.

Koopman said the most important thing is to listen to the youth and added connecting Aboriginal students with mentors may help. Russell said a big part of the solution is communication, and Scott said individualized education is important. Baxter said the issue is complex and that developing relationships is key.

Ferris said technology is important, but stressed it cannot be the only tool teachers use and said it's not a magic cure-all.

Hill and Scott said technology is a useful tool because not all children learn the same way.

Koopman said he's not against technology but is for communication, and Russell said technology has an expanding role to play in our schools.

Dixon said she would prefer not having an emphasis on technology in grades K-4 and noted nothing beats a good teacher.

Baxter said a balance is key and noted she would never be one to vote for the flavour of the month.

Hill, Koopman, Ferris, Baxter and Russell said teachers should be in charge of their own professional development, while Dixon and Scott said there needs to be a balance of teacher and provincial involvement in professional development.

Koopman, Scott, Dixon, Baxter, Ferris and Hill said they would be accountable to how money was spent and how it impacted student achievement. Russell said he couldn't make that promise, citing the differing ways to track student achievement as a stumbling block.

Russell said if elected he would push for full funding support of special education, as did Scott, Ferris, Hill and Koopman.

Baxter also said she would push for more funding, but noted if the money doesn't come through, she would look at other avenues.

"We have to get creative about ways to bring money into our district in ways that we never have and stop being the victim of the provincial government," she said.

Dixon said innovation is key, noting the school district has been talking about underfunding of special needs students for years.

To find out more about any of the school district candidates, you can view their full profiles on-line at www.sd46.bc.ca under Trustee Elections.