As I said on my Facebook page, I would like to thank the voters of Nanaimo so much for the support you have given me. It will be an honour to serve the children and families of our community for the next 4 years. The new Board took our oath of office on Monday, December 8th. Trustee Steve Rae has been named Board Chair for the year, with Trustee Higginson as Vice Chair.

You’ll notice I changed the url of this blog. I’m still trying to come up with a new name. One of the main platforms of my campaign was around engaging stakeholders. I want you to give me input on decisions the board is facing. Your views matter. I will always be as open as possible as to why I supported, or didn’t support, certain ideas at the Board table. I welcome your questions at all times.

We made two decisions at our first meeting. A motion was made and passed to change the configuration at Ladysmith Secondary as of September 2015 to remove Grade 7s from the school. Ladysmith will go back to being a secondary school with only grade 8-12. Students will stay at Ladysmith Intermediate for Grade 7.

The second, more controversial decision our new Board has made was the 30 day hold we put on construction at Cedar school. I did support that motion. While I understand that some are unsure about putting the facilities plan on hold, I also respect that the community, through its vote, made a strong statement that there are still aspects of the plan that give cause for concern. So many told me that they couldn’t see the logic in converting a secondary school to an elementary school that it gave me pause.

I want to be clear that at least for me, I’m still not sure what the right answer is regarding Cedar. I will be spending the rest of the winter break re-reading various reports on the matter so I’m ready for our meetings when we return. We have to look at the big picture, come together as a community, be clear on our values, and come up with a plan we can all live with. Nobody will get everything they want – it’s inevitable that compromises will have to be made. There will have to be give and take and collaboration to come up with the best solutions possible. Our children deserve a vision for facility usage that the community can generally support, so that we’re not constantly in conflict over these issues. All the time we spend arguing with one another, rather than working together, is time we’re NOT investing in advocating for our children with the provincial government to get a funding formula that works.

If you haven’t read the Facilities Plan, I encourage you to do so. Then, take the time to participate in the process. If you have ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc., send them to me. I will ensure they are shared with the Business Committee.