IN THE LANGLEY SCHOOL TRUSTEE RACE: Marnie Wilson

Marnie Wilson

RUNNING AS AN INDEPENDENT

Special education assistant, age 48

Aldergrove resident who’s lived in Langley 22 years

Having served as school trustee for the past four years, the last one as vice-chair, parented two children through the Langley school system, been employed as a special education assistant for the Langley School District, and having held the position of union president of CUPE 1260 (the union representing school support staff), I have seen the school district from numerous perspectives.

My experience and commitment to consultation, collaboration and transparency make me a great candidate for the position of trustee.

If re-elected my top three priorities are: more supports and resources for mental health and inclusion; advocating for more schools and reducing overcrowding; and building stronger relationships with partner groups so we can create more opportunities for engagement.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/marniewilson4trustee

Website: www.marniewilson.ca

Phone: 778-999-5069

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify:

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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? Yes.

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

No.

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?

Don’t know.

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?

Don’t know.

Although building bigger elementary schools seems like an easy answer to solving the overcrowding and rapid enrolment growth issue, there have been studies done that show smaller elementary schools have better outcomes for students, higher academic achievement, facilitate inclusion better, and instill a stronger sense of community and belonging.

I would need to see more research on this before coming to a definitive decision.

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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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