IN THE LANGLEY SCHOOL TRUSTEE RACE: Charlie Fox

Charlie Fox

RUNNING AS AN INDEPENDENT

Retired teacher/administrator, age 72

South Langley resident who’s lived in Langley 49 years

I have lived in Langley for 49 years.

I was a teacher or administrator for over 33 years, retiring in 2007.

I worked in many schools throughout the Langley district, which gives me a strong understanding of the differences and needs of these school communities.

I have been a school trustee for the last 18 months.

My wife, Diane, worked in the dDistrict and we have two children, both educated in the Langley district. We now have two grandchildren going to school in the district.

In 2005, I ran for Township of Langley council and served four terms.

The Langley district has been my home, my job, my commitment for the past 49 years.

I am independent – with no ties to other candidates or slate.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FOXSD35

Twitter: @CharlieFox7

Website: www.Foxforsd35.ca

Phone: 604-340-9421

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: I was a Township Councillor for 4 terms, 13 years (2005-2018). I have been a trustee for 1 ½ years (2021-2022).

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Do you agree with how SOGI material and other sex education is currently taught in the classroom, including LGBTQ2S content and sexual consent?

Don’t know. The SOGI program and materials were developed and implemented from the Ministry of Education. These are prescribed materials available in every public and private school in the province. Each school district has their own implementation strategy and for our District this is covered in ‘Administrative Procedure 170 (Anti-Harassment & Anti-Discrimination’. Parent information and resources for SOGI 123 are available there and the Physical Education & Health Education Curriculum continuum are available there as well. Further to this, each school has their own SOGI resource person, often a counselor who is aware of all the District guidelines and expectations and acts as a guide and resource for teachers in their school. Langley School District has taken a very careful, thoughtful and collaborative approach to the implementation of SOGI to ensure transparency.

2. Are class sizes too big?

Yes. Class size is determined by contract language, but yes I would like to see them smaller.

3. Should all students with diverse abilities or special needs be taught in regular classrooms?

My 34 years of working in the Langley School District has lead me to believe strongly in integration of all students in to the regular classroom. Having said that, there may well be times that integrated students would benefit from small group instruction and learning support outside the regular classroom setting to assist them in meeting their I.E.P. goals and achievement outcomes. The key to successful integration of diverse learners in to the regular classroom is based on the need for in class support through S.E.A. support. We need to ensure adequate S.E.A.’s are hired to support the diverse and special needs learners and we give them the tools necessary to maximize their ability to work hand in hand with those students.

4. Is the provincial government providing enough funding for public schools?

No, absolutely not. The present funding mechanism is broken and needs to be completely overhauled.

5. Should the district set a deadline to switch to an all-electric bus and vehicle fleet?

No. The District has started the transition to electrifying the fleet of buses and vehicle fleet. This transition will be a slow and methodical process. Issues have arisen with the buses that arrived, within the charging process, which means that the industry still cannot deliver a product that is consistent and reliable.

6. Should there be more emphasis on STEM courses in schools?

Yes.

7. Should the district consider offering distance education for some students on a regular basis, based on what was learned during the pandemic?

Yes. The District does an excellent job through its U-Connect school option. The registration for this type of schooling is very popular especially since the Covid pandemic.

8. Should the district have a strategy to reduce the use of portables?

Yes. The strategy to reduce the use of portables really relies on a strong advocacy and strategy for building new schools. These two issues are closely intertwined and a good strategy to reduce portables must be developed and be robust and doable.

9. Should there be more emphasis on Indigenous-based history and culture courses?

Yes. As the reconciliation journey is only beginning within our District ,and the instruction and understanding of indigenous history and culture is an important part of our foundation to our understanding of the reconciliation journey past and future.

10. Should new elementary schools be built larger, to accommodate more students and deal with continuing rapid enrolment growth?

Yes. The need to build bigger schools will do two things, it will better deal with the issue of reducing the reliance on portables and also if we build up (schools of 2 or 3 stories) it will enable a smaller footprint allowing for larger play and playground area for student use.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Langley Advance Times readers have repeatedly told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Langley make their choices on election day, the Langley Advance Times is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in the Langley Advance Times print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.langleyadvancetimes.com.

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