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To: Media                               Re: A Citizen’s Concern                   Date:  30 Sept 2022

What? – Two Retired Superintendents Are Candidates for School Board Trustees?

This is no ordinary school board election year — held every four years along with elections for mayors and councillors. It’s not just a post-Covid thing but there seems to be something bizarre about this current picture for school board elections in BC.

First, it jumps out that not one, but TWO ex-school superintendents are seriously running for trustee positions!  Does that seem right?

Steve Cardwell, 40 years in public education and former Vancouver School Board Superintendent is running in Vancouver with standard do-good campaign material. 

However, Dr Keven Elder, 41 years in public education and former superintendent is running in North Saanich with glowing, self-congratulatory credentials to fill several pages that would lead one to think he was running for a senior position in the United Nations!  He is running against incumbent Elsie McMurphy (M Ed) who has already served 5 terms (20yr) after being the President of the BC Teachers Federation in 80s.

Interesting.  Alarming. Why are educators with high degrees wanting to dominate school boards?  In the olden days it was unpaid parents who were trustees of schools.

But a further survey of the BC scene shows that many teachers are running this year. In two school districts the local teacher unions actually endorse teachers and make this known to members and public.  (Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association GVTA,   https://twitter.com/taraolivetree?lang=en  and Chilliwack Teachers’ Association CTA — look up “Chilliwack Progress teachers’ union endorse school trustee candidates. . . ” for news story re issues about teachers on school boards).

In a democracy we believe that civilians should govern the military, otherwise in their self-interest we would constantly be in a warlike state, needing more and more military.  The same principle needs to be applied to education.  Public education should not be governed by the educators as they would constantly find ways to “need” more and more resources.  Administrative bloat in education is already a big concern as costs keep rising even with steady enrollments and flat or declining achievement scores.  Conflict of interest is a concern.  Bias is a concern if educators are the trustees of school systems. 

A few days ago, I was at our local Senior Center for my weekly Chronic Back Pain session and came upon a candidate in the hallway soliciting the senior vote.  She expounded on how, as a teacher, she is a good trustee.  I piped in and said that seems like a conflict of interest.  She said it wasn’t, because she taught in other districts. 

Further probing into my concerns I find there are at least two different groups of citizens who are fielding candidates, and one group that is providing an information service about trustees. Mainly the theme is “Take Back Our Schools.”   

The concerns expressed are not only about educators being dominant in trusteeship but also with matters of curriculum and gender ideology in classroom discussions (See National Post, Sept 26, Jamie Sarkonak, Defence of teacher with oversized prosthetic breasts https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-defence-of-teacher-with-oversized-prosthetic-breasts-the-logical-conclusion-of-gender-ideology

Some are already dismissing this outgrowth of alternative candidates as “fringe groups”.  But, they are NOT fringe. They are spontaneous democratic reactions by people who are concerned about current school affairs in BC; who want corrections to the trend toward educator dominance; who would seek other choices if these were available and affordable.

Mine is a citizen’s concern. I am writing to you about these serious issues. I now have a great grandchild who will soon be of school age.

I see that the front page of The Epoch Times, Sept 20, mentions “Candidates Run in Ontario Trustee Elections to Remove Politics, Ideology from Classrooms”. https://www.theepochtimes.com/candidates-run-in-ontario-trustee-election-to-remove-politics-ideology-from-classrooms_4735652.html  There are similar concerns in BC.

I’m hoping we can get some media coverage for BC public school trustee elections.

Tunya Audain, West Vancouver, tunyasez@hotmail.com  — 604 926 9081