School trustees

[beam-me-up-morrison]

I am extremely excited about all of the people running for the school board in Summerland.
There's six running for two spots. In the past it has always been Connie Denesiuk and Linda Van Alphen. This time around, I doubt Linda will get re-elected. She's getting up there in age (although most of these candidates are older) but she's had her time. Aligned herself too much with administration - remember the Summer Leadership Conference where they were going to pay a guy $52,500 to run a three-day event or tearing down the Pen-Hi auditorium when there's no other suitable option in the community? Anyhow, here's who's running.

Linda Beaven - wildly popular teacher at Summerland for over 30 years, real driving force behind the arts community in Summerland

Terry Green - former union president, taught Grade 3 and 4 for years in Summerland, to a generation of kids he's known as Mr. Green, very active with the NDP and humanitarian causes

Dale MacDonald - Wow, what a gem he is. Summerland is lucky to have the Dale Meadows facility for a community of its size and that was his doing, great Parks and Rec guy, very very positive

Rob Melle - Don't know much about him but from what the Herald says he's unique in that he was a carpenter for years then went back to school and went into teaching. He's running on a campaign of keeping our facilities looking good because kids remain positive when they're in positive surroundings. He later became a high school VP at Rutland, which is apparently a fairly tough school.

Christine Petkau - she works at a job finding young people and unemployed people work. She's launched a very aggressive campaign, really informative website and is working really hard on her campaign.

Interesting how The Herald has done a better job of doing bios on the Summerland candidates that our own weekly paper.

[Captain77]

Hold your horses, Beam me up. Teachers as trustees bargaining with teachers on strike? How is that good for kids????

[fluffy]

From a name-recognition veiwpoint, Linda Beaven is a major contender. I am mixed on the thought of teachers bargaining with teachers as stated in the previous post. Experience within the system would be an asset, but the risk of something similar to cronyism would be present. Linda Van Alphen would be an important anchor of continuity due to her years of service, too many "new brooms" would be inefficient as past connections and experience would be lost.

[beam-me-up-morrison]

Actually, sometimes retired teachers have been the biggest back-stabbers to their own kind when they've been elected to the school board.
What people forget is there's VERY LITTLE BARGAINING done at the local level - 95 per cent of it is handled by Victoria.
School boards hire the superintendents, attend meetings, go to PAC stuff, more p.r. type stuff (similar to the National Guard vs the Marines or Air Force). Stuff boards do is do we get a new Science lab in Summerland Secondary School or a new bank of computers for KVR, we can only afford one.
One of the few things they barter on is class size and even everyone's handcuffed on that.
So, with no disrespect to trustees, it's very much a PR thing and being visible and selling public education. Linda Bevan would be great at that, I think.

[beam-me-up-morrison]

Anybody but Linda Van Alphen.
She's been a lap dog for administration for her nine years.

[fluffy]

Who is "administration" in this case BMUM ?