IN THE LANGLEY SCHOOL TRUSTEE RACE: Holly Dickinson

Holly Dickinson

RUNNING WITH CONTRACT WITH LANGLEY

Elementary school teacher, age 40

Murrayville resident who’s lived in Langley 20+ years

A long-time Langley resident, proud aunty, teacher, volunteer, and fierce advocate for students, I believe in love, equality, and dream of a day when our community is authentically equitable.

As the sole candidate currently working full time in our schools, I have a unique opportunity to authenticate the difficulties that our students, staff, and families encounter.

Previous experience in Human Resources affords me the ability to evaluate issues through the lens of management and unionized employees.

I’m competent at balancing budgets over a million dollars and diligent in directing funds in appropriate ways – ensuring the best outcome for all stakeholders.

My skill set, steadfast commitment to advocacy, and passion for all things education will be an asset to the board and our community.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DickinsonForTrustee/

Twitter: @h_dickinson9

Instagram: @holly_dickinson_

Website: www.contractwithlangley.org

Phone: 778-401-8985

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: No.

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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?

Yes.

2. Are class sizes too big?

Yes.

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

This is a very complex question, because education, when done right, is molded to fit the individual student and their needs.

Some students are more comfortable having alternative spaces and there needs to be room for flexible options for the students and families who feel a non-traditional learning environment/opportunities works best for the child.

We need to remember the goal is inclusion not integration, and inclusion will look different for everyone.

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

No. It is appalling how little the province dedicates to public education. Students in BC receive the lowest per-student amount in the country. Teacher salaries in BC are among the lowest in Canada. School Districts essentially have to beg for money to build new schools, with thousands of students being forced into overcrowded classrooms or portables without running water. This needs to change and we need strong leaders and a strong team who are willing to advocate for these changes to happen.

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

Yes.

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.

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

Yes.

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

Yes.

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

Yes. While this is not ideal, we need to look for ways to be creative with the land parcels that we currently own. I’d like to explore the idea of new modular, moveable classrooms as an alternative solution.

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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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