Sept 23rd, 2005
Katherine Wagner
I would like to thank the voters of Maple Ridge for their confidence in electing me to three consecutive terms as a school trustee. I have made a decision to not seek re-election to the school board this fall.
It has been a privilege to work on behalf of the public, local students and their parents/guardians.
I remain deeply committed to supporting effective public education. Serving as a school trustee has strengthened my convictions around the critical role of education in a functioning, healthy democracy.
Over the summer I carefully reviewed the issues and dynamics of my last nine years as part of the local school board and in particular the last three. At this point, I believe I can best serve an interest in a strong, accountable public education system as an independent researcher, writer and advocate for effective, timely, student-focused, public education reform.
Our British Columbia public education system is, in many ways, overly complex and bureaucratic. School boards operate within an often tangled web of widely ranging interests and priorities. Even a clear definition of the role of school trustees and school boards is elusive and perhaps not even possible given the current structure of the public education system.
Within that context I would like to touch on a few issues:
I am proud of the fact that District #42, with the support of the school board, has worked to improve services to disadvantaged and at-risk students including providing an inclusive environment for students with special needs. This is an area that continues to require attention and it is my hope that future school boards will remain committed to this vision.
Compared to a decade past, students and families in District #42 have many more choices to meet their learning needs. This change acknowledges the many benefits of K-12 education choice and is the result of both local policies and changes to provincial legislation. For example, the Board recognized a need for technical/trades education in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows and Samuel Robertson Technical High School is one of the results. Unfortunately, the Board also turned down an opportunity to provide more public school choice when it chose to close Meadowlands Elementary last year.
Research, evidence and data are all essential tools of an effective, responsive, accountable education system. I believe our District is currently a British Columbia leader in this area.
Parental involvement is acknowledged as important but it is still a controversial subject locally and beyond. School Planning Councils are a recently legislated structure that I believe has significant potential. SPC’s provide a new opportunity for parents to become more fully informed and involved in supporting the success of all students at the schools their children attend.
Ensuring accountability, public debate and public access to information are critical but uncomfortable responsibilities for politicians at all levels of government. We are living in the “knowledge and information” age and this reality must be reflected, in a timely manner, by both our education services to students and the manner in which the institution interfaces with parents and the public. Low voter turnout at election time and a surprising lack of public input into most school board decisions are a troubling aspect of the accountability issue.
As I step aside from the position of school trustee, I would like to encourage greater community participation in local government. Stand for election, write a letter to the editor, attend an all-candidates meeting and ask a question, watch a school board or council meeting and above all else, please cast a ballot on Nov. 19th.
Sincerely, 
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