1. - What is the most important issue facing the Board of Education, and how would you propose to deal with it? The most important issue facing the Langley School Board is funding, both for its operational budget (especially addressing the needs of our special needs population) and securing funding for capital budgets (new schools for the Willoughby area).
2. - Should the school district sell surplus school sites to help fund capital projects in Willoughby? The school district will follow a process to dispose of surplus land after consulting with stakeholders in the areas around the school site. I am not in favor of closing our community schools.
3. - Is there enough timely communication between the board and the two local governments regarding development and its impact on school population? The liaison committees for both the Township and City have improved their communication, but more can be done in this area. Perhaps we need to look at a new model for predicting school enrollment from developments as the present one tends to very conservative in predicting numbers of school age children. We, both the Board of Education and local governments, have an obligation to our children/students to do the best job possible of providing new schools in a timely manner.
4. - What is the best way to deal with class size and composition issues, so that all students get the maximum attention from teachers? The best way to deal with class size and composition issues is to abide by the Supreme Court of B.C.’s ruling and reinstate the stripped items back into the collective agreement with the teachers. Spend money on education, not litigation. This dispute has gone on too long.