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SD78 School Board Candidate Q&A: Linda Kerr

SD78 School Board elections: Trustee candidate Q&A
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SD78 School Board elections: Trustee candidate Q&A

Linda Kerr (current school board chair)

Q1: What experience do you have that will make you a good trustee for SD78?

I have been involved with education since I was five, either as a student, a teacher, an administrator or a trustee. The initial cookie-cutter 1900s approach has evolved into personalized learning, which means that individual students have options that can tailor their education to their own needs and abilities.

Q2: What are the two most pressing issues facing SD78? How do you plan to address them? (be specific)

Keeping competent and professional teachers in our district continues to be a challenge, particularly when the Supreme Court decision has meant that our first-class teachers are valuable elsewhere, too. Our approach has always been to hear and value what our partners say.

The students we enroll in Kindergarten are among the most vulnerable in the province. Our teachers and support staff do a phenomenal job of raising the level of success in these children — and in a very short period of time. We need to continue to help all of our children with resources that can lift them up.

Q3: How do you plan to listen to parents and students about the issues they care about? (be specific)

Parents and students who talk to me about issues they have will always find a listening ear. Most often, if I know who has the answer, I direct them to that person — or I find out. No trustee alone can solve a problem — but they should know the process to follow to find a solution.

Q4: The SD78 board has faced a number of controversies over its last term, including a letter to former education minister Mike Bernier stating the board was “severely dysfunctional” and requesting a special advisor to review SD78’s governance, two censures of a trustee - one of which cost the school district $48,000 and allegations from the censured trustee about bullying, a disrespectful workplace and a lack of transparency on the board. Given this, how do you plan to instill trust in and build a healthy workplace culture on the SD78 board?

This might be a difficult question for any except the incumbent candidates. Respect is usually earned when offered to others, and hard work toward a common goal produces a functional workplace. Most of the members of the Board were able to work together and bring about some amazing opportunities for students. Lest we lose our focus, they are the clients we serve. Let us cease looking at the past, and look positively toward the future with new occasions to bring out the best in one another and support those whose inclination it is to make a good School District even better.

Q5: What is your position on the implementation of the SOGI 1 2 3 program in SD78 schools?

The Corporate Board, looking for fewer ways in which students could be bullied or disrespected, chose to become part of the SOGI network schools a year ago. The BC Human Rights Code protects Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and the Ministry of Education indicated that this protection should be added to Board policies.

(To clarify: SOGI 1-2-3 is a website for tools which teachers can access if students are questioning.)