Editor:
Surrey First Education trustees were re-elected, despite the fact they were part of the Surrey First team which was decimated. I will not cry over spilled milk and I congratulate them.
Twenty-four trustee candidates tried to oust them, including two slates. However, other than a brief description of our platforms, three phrases and 30 words, there was little coverage in the papers.
We had three candidate debates. Only one was covered – and not well – perhaps the format, table-to-table chat not ideal. Not all Surrey First Education candidates attended; two were totally absent, one does not even live in Surrey.
The Surrey Board of Trade and the Surrey District Parent Association debates brought out few voters and no press reporting on those debates. Perhaps doing them the last week before the election was not the best timing.
So why so little interest, I ask?
Here are some of the problems faced in our schools, besides rapid, unplanned development leading to a lack of schools: undesirable portables taking up much-needed funding, an increase of mental-health issues, escalating youth violence and gangs, lack of specialist teachers and teachers-on-call, lack of training and resources for the new education curriculum, not enough EAs resulting in lack of inclusion of students with special needs, limited ‘choice’ programs and wait lists, inadequate supports for struggling learners, outdated technology, have and have-not schools. More collaboration with teachers, parents, the community, city hall and the ministry are needed.
These problems are not new. They have been dangling for eight years, yet here we are hoping they will be resolved by the same trustees in the next four.
Despite these needs, Surrey schools are still full of innovative teaching and wonderful learning. Gains continue to be made in terms of educational outcomes due to the hard work of our teachers, but teachers are and will be burned out if change does not come.
We need more parents and citizens to start attending school board meetings and holding trustees to account. Surrey students attending our public schools need you!
Niovi Patsicakis, Surrey