New West school trustee hopefuls tackle election topics

Education-related advocacy and operating schools in a world dealing with COVID-19 were just some of the topics of discussion at Sunday evening’s school trustee candidates’ event at New West Secondary School's (NWSS) grand commons. The event was organized by the New Westminster District Parent Advisory Council and New West Student Voice. There were about three dozen people from the community in attendance. 

All nine trustee candidates were present: Cheryl Sluis, Elliot Slinn, Danielle Connelly, Marc Andres, Maya Russel, Kathleen Carlsen, Dee Beattie, Gurveen Dhaliwal, and Teo Dobre. Of the nine, Connelly, Russel, Beattie, and Dhaliwal are incumbents. 

Connelly, Carlsen, and Dobre are running with the New West Progressives, while Sluis, Slinn, Andres, Russel, Beattie, and Dhaliwal are with the Community First slate. 

New West will elect seven trustees in the Oct. 15 municipal election. 

Along with opening statements, there were three questions from New West Student Voice, and nine questions submitted by parents and guardians. Candidates had access to the questions from the parents and guardians before the event, but the questions from Student Voice were not provided ahead of time. 

If you'd like a full, detailed recap of what was discussed, take a look at this Twitter thread. 

Access to technology

Every candidate said the burden of students bringing their own laptops, phones, and tablets to class isn't fair. Russel said the policy was not meant to be mandatory, and she was concerned to hear students and/or their families felt they had to send their own device. 

Dhaliwal pointed out the inequities that appeared during COVID-19, especially when students had to take classes online. The Student Voice also asked about technological distractions in the classroom, with Andres adding there may be some benefit to using apps that are reward-based. He talked about one app that plants a tree if students are able to remain focused. While he didn't refer to any specific apps, Flora-Green Focus and Forest offer these options. 

Student Voice also asked about improving internet connections. Sluis said better internet would come down to advocacy and ensuring school trustees and other staff are working with partners to bring faster connections to schools. 

Advocacy

There were some points of overlap when the discussion turned to advocacy. Danielle Connelly pointed to rallying for tech funding, and other initiatives like the school food program. During a question about the city and the school district needing to work together more closely, Connelly mentioned schools must be built for future need, not current need—especially with New West continuing to see growth in enrolment. Connelly also mentioned running out of places to build, and that the school site acquisition charge needs to be updated for the current cost of land. 

Both Slinn and Dobre said it was important to listen to the needs of parents, guardians, and students. Dobre said the best way to advocate was to get to know the needs of students and parents so that the district can be taken seriously by the province. Beattie said there has been an effort to obtain feedback, but some of the methods—for instance, asking open-ended questions—haven't been effective. 

Slinn compared listening and active listening, adding there was a need for more equity and good dialogue at the trustee table. 

Diversity, inclusion, and belonging 

Sluis cited her experience as a project manager with an organization that supports people with disabilities; she also mentioned having lived experience challenging systems marginalizing 2SLGBTQ+ families like hers. 

Beattie—answering a question about the number of counsellors available for students—noted the importance of having guidance from those who are of First Nations descent. Beattie, who mentioned having First Nations children in her household, said it was a positive experience having someone help a child in her home who was missing credits needed for graduation. 

To ensure safety for all students, Carlson said respect needs to come from the top, and took the opportunity to mention that adults needed to be respectful in meetings. This appeared to be a nod to the current trustees, whose meetings have included some heated discussion and the use of the 'point of order' callout. 'Point of order' callouts usually occur when someone is trying to draw attention to the rules of the meeting, typically when there may be a violation of the regulations.  

Both Russel and Beattie urged parents, guardians, and students to use the ERASE reporting tool, with Beattie adding this was a good way to capture data on the issue. Connelly said she'd like to see an accessibility audit of each of the schools. 

COVID-19 protections

Dhaliwal said COVID-19 protections were  something she and other trustees had been wrestling with throughout their term, adding it was best to take direction from scientists and experts when it comes to dealing with the virus. She cited the importance of funding teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) to fill in the gaps when teachers are sick, and also supported the upgrades to ventilation. 

Dobre wondered aloud if it had been two years already, adding that it appeared that COVID-19 might be over soon. While noting there have been low numbers of child infection, Dobre added there were still improvements to be made. Dobre said the two Vs were the most important: ventilation and vaccines. 

Student-to-staff ratio

Beattie said trustees haven't had enough conversations with school counsellors, but trustees have  been prioritizing extra supports at the high school level. Russel and Connelly both agreed the student-to-counsellor ratio is ridiculous.

• Russel said the provincial number is at about one counsellor for every 600 students

• Connelly said New West operates closer to one counsellor for every 450 students

Slinn said he'd like to see more creative ways for students to connect with outside partners, and Dobre agreed there should be more opportunities for students to connect with post-secondary schools far in advance of graduation.

Policing in schools 

Carlsen said she was one of the 82% of parents who voted to keep the police liaison program in schools. The program ended last year. Carlsen said there could have been changes to the program, but there should have been more discussion.

Andres drew on his experiences teaching in Surrey, saying that district's model of adding more specialized staff and opportunities for de-escalation training would be valuable. He'd also focus on more mentorship opportunities and the development of school safety plans, while looking to quantify how people feel about their safety in schools.