Holly Dickinson and Joel Neufeld have both declared they will be running again for school trustee in the upcoming municipal election on the Contract with Langley slate.
They made the announcement on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Last year, both ran in a school board by-election ordered after former school board chair Megan Dykeman resigned to pursue her new post as MLA for Langley East.
Neufeld finished second to victor Charlie Fox, with 700 votes to Fox’s 896. Dickinson finished fifth, with 332 votes.
Neufeld, a first responder with the Surrey Fire Department, lives with his wife Meghan and daughter Brinley in Fort Langley.
“My daughter started school last year,” Neufeld said.
“We can already see the many challenges our teachers face with lack of reserves, new schools being built that are already at capacity, some even with no outdoor areas for kids to play and explore. We are failing at basic infrastructure like sidewalks for kids to get to school safely. We have to do better. Our community is growing and developers are reaping the rewards while our kids and teachers are left desperately trying to keep up. It’s just not good enough.”
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Dickinson is a long-time Langley resident and elementary school teacher in Surrey. Raised in Langley, Dickinson attended Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Brookswood.
”I want to advocate for students, educators and their families, as a school trustee with a new, younger, experienced voice in touch with the current issues we face,” Dickinson said.
“Our board needs everyday representatives who are currently working in the education system, frontline witnesses of the modern, daily struggles that our families and students experience. We need to make real progress on equity, bullying, and staffing issues with new, innovative policies,” she said.
Contract With Langley has promised to release a full plan for schools in September.
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