School District 68 trustee candidates answer basic questions

Do you live within the District you are hoping to represent?

Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?

Bill Robinson – Incumbent

Describe yourself and your experience.

For more than thirty years, my personal mission statement has been: “To motivate myself and those I reach to seek out and activate the best in ourselves and each other.” Since then I have pursued that mission through my various careers as a major market broadcaster, local newspaper columnist, inspirational speaker, teacher and, for the past seven years, as a SD68 trustee.

My goal is to continue to bring a calm voice of reason to the board; one that comes with no baggage and no hidden agenda other than a passionate commitment to help students and teaching professionals be the best they can be. I will pursue this goal through persistence, team work, consensus building and collaboration.

When once again asking for your vote as a School District 68 Trustee, the guiding principles I commit to are: to always do the right thing for the district as a whole, not the politically smart thing; to stand as a staunch defender and promoter of our public education system; to use my career-long experience and acquired skill-sets to inspire and motivate students, teachers, other staff members and partners to be the best they can be.

What prompted you to run in your School District?

 I have a long standing interest in working with youth. For instance, back in 1973 I started the Nanaimo Interact Club, a high school Rotary Club, which supported a school I worked with in Zimbabwe. Specifically they raised money to support AIDS orphans. They raised $20,000 over the first two years and made a huge difference for many students in Zimbabwe, while gaining a whole lot of experience for themselves.

A few years ago, one of the students in that group, a 2006 graduate and current Ontario Risk Management Specialist with an MBA, sent me an email, which said: “You’re a big part of the reason I have been successful. I was very fortunate to have a mentor like you when I was in high school.” During that same period of time one of our teachers sent me the following email: “Students walk away from conversations with Bill feeling empowered by the belief he instils in them of their ability to bring change to themselves, their community and their world.”

It’s experiences like this, and there are many more, that prompted by to run as a Sd68 Trustee.

Do you live within the District you are hoping to represent?

Yes I do.

Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?

My web site is www.electbillrobinson.ca. I am on Facebook as “Bill Robinson, Nanaimo” and I have a special page www.facebook.com/electbill.

Here is my 2018 platform in case you would like it:

IF RE-ELECTED I WILL:

• Give priority to developing an updated facilities plan. This is essential because of the stress placed on the required number of classrooms due to the Supreme Court class size and composition decision and now our growing student population resulting from our city’s growth. Therefore I will work with the board, staff, unions, DPAC and other partners to ensure that appropriate facilities are available as required. A review of catchment areas is definitely something I will support.
• Continue as co-chair of our board appointed Reconciliation Committee and, as I have for the past five years, carry on taking a leadership position promoting our Hul’qumi’num language and culture programs while working to improve our Indigenous grad rates.
• Continue as vice chair – or chair – of the Education Committee.
• I believe that Community School Coordinators play an important role in our district. I will work to see those positions maintained.
• I will initiate a board discussion/debate regarding the value of our French Emersion lottery system. I’m not sure that this system is best for parents and students.
• I believe one of the most important things I do is to ensure that I arrange frequent visits with teachers during their lunch hour. I will definitely continue this practice.
• Last year I drew attention to the need for an accessible playground at Georgia Avenue Community School, home of our Life Skills class. First steps have been taken in that direction. I will work to see that playground completed this year.
• I will definitely promote and grow THE BEST ME I CAN BE program that I created and piloted this past school yearhttps://youtu.be/TXJMdOv5hFA — The program is designed to build self-esteem and self-confidence in all students, especially those who have not been reaching their true potential.
• I will also work to encourage parents, staff and students to nominate a minimum of twenty exceptional teachers, administrators, support staffand senior management for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education — I believe the more we celebrate excellence, the more excellence we will grow in support of our students.

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Richard Finnegan

Thank you for asking Candidates for background information and their platforms. Thank you particularly for including School Trustee Candidates in your request as we are most commonly ignored by almost every other media outlet. With a budget of about $160 Million dollars and the most direct influence on todays Learners SD 68 is overlooked by many because they don’t “have children in schools” or don’t think they CAN vote because they believe the School District boundaries end at the City limits!

As a candidate with experience on this Board, I felt it necessary to run again due to what has been blatant partisanship and fiscal buffoonery by the current Board. It’s time to right this ship. To put this derailed Train back on its tracks!

Please feel free to check out my campaign website at billbard.ca for details on what I can bring to Public Education here in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools.

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Describe yourself and your experience.

I am a Computing Sciences student attending Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.

What prompted you to run in your School District?

I was disappointed that the position of student trustee was never implemented in Nanaimo-Ladysmith. Both the current and previous board discussed the creation of this position and unfortunately both times it never materialized. I’ve looked into the benefits of student trustees in Ontario and think it would be a great asset in our district.

I also believe we need to do a much better job of acquiring funding for capital projects in our district. This is the responsibility of the entire community – to be passionate about education, and –  to demand our representatives ensure our district receives its fair share of funding. Trustees need to be getting voters excited about education funding.

Do you live within the District you are hoping to represent?

I live in and am a graduate of this district.

Summary of platform

– We must obtain more funding for capital projects. Our district has not received its fair share.

Trustees must be strong advocates for the allocation of more funding for capital projects in our district. This is an area where Nanaimo-Ladysmith has historically suffered. Changing this will require mobilizing voters and driving the discussion regarding education funding in the district.

If we are unable to obtain fair capital funding then we should work to change the system of capital fund allocation. Our district is not the only to suffer under this system. In collaboration with other districts, through the BC School Trustees Association, we should lobby for changes to the fund allocation system.

– We must improve engagement with our partners. A healthy relationship founded on mutual respect is necessary.

Meaningful engagement with our partners and stakeholders is required if we want to avoid consultation fatigue. A collaborative approach means all partners are listened to and having their concerns heard.

Bringing students into the boardroom by reinstating the district student council will provide a unique perspective. There is no one better to inform us about the barriers to success that students are facing than the students themselves. I would also support the creation of the position of student trustee. Student trustees have done incredible work in Ontario where every school board has at least one.

– We must continue supporting safe and inclusive schools that are conducive to learning.

The district has done some incredible work in the development of its inclusionary policies. I would continue to support these policies and also seek student input so we can continually improve the policies and gauge their effectiveness.

Do you have a website or Facebook page where people can get more information about you and what is it?

www.electehrismann.ca

[email protected]

I am a geophysicist by formal training (B.S. Geology ’81 University of California – Davis & M.S. Geophysics ’83 Pennsylvania State University). I worked for nearly 20 years for oil companies in the U.S. and overseas: as a Project Manager for multi-million-dollar seismic surveys in California & Indonesia; and I was part of a 10-person evaluation team that successfully helped an oil company purchase an oil field for $3.6 billion USD. I retired from the oil industry in 1999.

I am now semi-retired and seeking a second term as a trustee. I know that the school board benefits by having intelligent, professional members possessing critical thinking skills and business acumen who are also team players and have the time to commit to the job. I am engaged, committed, honest, sincere, and hard-working. I work as part of a team to make the best decisions to tackle the variety of challenges facing the district – all with a goal of making SD68 the best school district it can be and to improve student success.

I have one teenage daughter in a district secondary school.

I started paying attention to the school board when my community secondary school was slated for closure. I learned that for several years, the district had been operating under a deficit budget and the 2013/14 school year was no different, operating at nearly a $3-million-dollar loss [ Pg 4, “Net Revenue (Expense)” ]. Relationships with stakeholder groups were poor. “Consultations” with parents involved police presence and trustees refused to answer questions or meet with parents. The First Nations were so unhappy that they took the school district to B.C. Supreme Court over lack of consultation. The facilities plan called for the closure of several south-end schools and a commitment to bus – in perpetuity – whole school populations. It just didn’t make any financial (or academic) sense.

I’m not political and I generally don’t care for politicians, so it is ironic that I have become one! I remember thinking, “Gee, If I don’t put my name forward, who will?” It’s not a particularly fun job, but it is important work. In doing my trustee duties, I leave the politics to the politicians and focus on doing what I think is best for students and the school district as a whole. The result is that we’re in a better position today than we were 5 years ago. We are now living within our means and operating in the black. We have improved relationships with our First Nations partners and became the first school district to make “Reconciliation” part of ourschool board strategic plan. We have more work to do and I hope voters select a good team of 9 trustees to carry on this important work.