With a school trustee position open in an upcoming byelection, passionate candidates are ready to advocate for the betterment of students in the valley.
Canadian Rockies Public Schools (CRPS) will hold a trustee byelection for the vacant Banff ward following long-time trustee Kim Bater’s resignation earlier this summer.
Nomination day is scheduled for Sept. 8 and papers will be received between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. at locations in Banff, Canmore and Exshaw (please refer to crps.ca for the nomination form and drop off addresses).
As elected community representatives, the role of a school trustee is being the public’s voice for local education. Making it known he’ll advocate for students in the Bow Valley is Luke Sunderland, who declared his intentions for nomination day.
Sunderland’s everyday life revolves around CRPS in some form, whether it’s his elementary school aged children or his wife who’s a teacher for the district. He is The Banff Centre’s vice-president and chief operating officer.
Alberta Education provides enrolment growth funding to districts increasing in student population. This year, CRPS isn’t expecting growth and estimates a 2.25 per cent decrease in enrolment from 2014-15 due to a high number of Grade 12 students graduating in summer.
Sunderland supports a change in the funding model for smaller school districts not in growth. He says the current system has the biggest potential to undermine the great work being done at CRPS.
“The funding school model is challenging as it relates to smaller school districts and rural schools … it leaves less for extracurricular or special needs programs that really benefit the students,” Sunderland said. “Students still need to benefit from a similar opportunity like they would through a growing school population.”
Sunderland sees potential for future enrolment and funds by keeping extracurricular programs in place with community partnerships such as outdoor education, summer school and dual credit programing, to attract international students.
Being able to use local resources for students preparing for life after secondary school and continuing programs where students are able to learn from local industries, such as environmental and hospitality and tourism, among others, is important, he said.
“I think it provides the kids a really great opportunity to learn from what the community is really strong at,” Sunderland said. “I think that’s an area that has funding potential and enrolment potential and puts the students first.”
Sunderland said he would also be a strong supporter to improve funding for special needs and bettering technology access and support, increasing support for English Second Language students and teachers, and maintaining a student learning-friendly classroom size.
When Bater resigned from the board, he said to the Outlook one of the major steps moving forward is giving students a greater voice in the grand scheme of things.
One of the fields Sunderland looks at for engaging students is to know how today’s students through elementary and secondary learn and grow.
“What I like about (CRPS) is their strategic framework in terms of Inspiring Hearts and Minds as it relates to the whole student – it relates to physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual, so engagement of the student is the core of that,” Sunderland said.
