Of the three levels of civic governance in the City of Vancouver — City Council, School Board and Park Board — Vancouver School Board is the one level of local government VanRamblings cares most deeply about.
Those women and men working within and for Vancouver’s school system, as well as each of the nine individuals elected to Vancouver’s Board of Education — each and every one of them, persons of conscience whose professional and elected lives are near totally consumed with the welfare and the educational needs of the 55,000+ students who are enrolled Vancouver schools — represent the very best among us.
Vancouver School Board Superintendent Suzanne Hoffman, celebrating her first full year as the extraordinary advocate within our too often tremulous community, working with her dedicated administrative staff out of VSB headquarters at West Broadway and Fir Street, are not just extraordinary advocates for public education, not simply caretakers of British Columbia’s second largest and most diverse school district, but are titanic champions for each and every child enrolled in Vancouver’s burgeoning school system.
Vancouver, as is the case with school districts across the province, remains a hurting and economically troubled school district still recovering from sixteen years of massive underfunding by a provincial government which sought to undermine the educational interests of an entire generation of vulnerable students enrolled in British Columbia’s public education system.
The work that teachers in classrooms across Vancouver, teacher support staff, the district’s dedicated and incredibly fine administrative staff, and the resolute members of Vancouver’s Board of Education, each and every day of their professional and elected lives go to bat for student interests, this cadre of educators and electeds the never say die folks who, going foward, are shaping Vancouver’s future as a city of hope for all citizens in our city.
Carrie Bercic, Erica Jaaf, Jennifer ReddyStaunch defenders of publication education, and the must, must-elects in 2018
Jennifer Reddy, Carrie Bercic and Erica Jaaf, candidates for Vancouver School Board
Since her election to Vancouver’s Board of Education in the 2017 by-election, Carrie Bercic has emerged as the conscience of the Board, the one elected Trustee most dedicated to the interests of children enrolled in the Vancouver school system, an unyielding advocate for students, and the parents of those students who want and demand the best for their children.
Carrie Bercic: the tenacious advocate for student and parent interests.
In 2017, Trustee Bercic was joined by her longtime public education advocate colleague and friend Erica Jaaf, who ran as candidates with OneCity Vancouver for School Board in last year’s by-election — Ms. Jaaf falling just shy of being elected to Vancouver’s vital Board of Education.
And more’s the pity, for student & parent interests in the City of Vancouver.
For, you see, Carrie Bercic and Erica Jaaf have dedicated almost their entire adult lives advocating for public education, first through their involvement on the parent advisory committees in the schools where their children attended, as well as on the district’s indispensable PAC, and then through their activism with the non-partisan grassroots collective of parents and community members, who formed the province-wide Parent Advocacy Network, whose members believe in and are dedicated to ensuring …
“A high quality education for all students enrolled in British Columbia’s public education system, accessible in their neighbourhoods, in educationally appropriate and seismically safe buildings, with the resources and staff necessary to meet the learning needs of students learners across the province.”
In 2018, with your support, Carrie Bercic and Erica Jaaf will work together to take their non-partisan advocacy for the interests of student to Vancouver’s Board of Education. As an educator, as a parent and now a grandparent, VanRamblings has known, and known of, Carrie Bercic and Erica Jaaf for a good many years — we can tell you that there are no finer advocates for public education, and for students interests, in the province.
Alongside her OneCity Vancouver colleague, Christine Boyle — the single most important candidate for office in my lifetime (seeking a seat on City Council), Jennifer Reddy — public education activist extraordinaire — is VanRamblings favourite new candidate in the 2018 Vancouver civic election.
Transformational candidates of the first order, persons of heart and persons of conscience, educated, bright, accomplished and dedicated to the greater good, Jennifer Reddy and Christine Boyle represent together the candidates for office of a generation, the transcendentally important candidates for civic office in 2018, for whom is it vitally important each and every one of us cast a vote — filling in the oval beside their names on the ballot — if, going forward, we as citizens of Vancouver are to realize the city we need.
Vote BERCIC, Carrie, JAAF, Erica, and REDDY, Jennifer at the polls.
Christopher RichardsonThe Vancouver School Board’s première special ed candidate
Christopher Richardson is a chartered financial accountant.
On a Vancouver School Board that has experienced some difficulties over the years attempting to balance their budget, Christopher’s voice at the Board of Education table could prove an invaluable one, given his financial expertise and the sad fact that the Vancouver School District continues to be underfunded, such that all students needs are not being met.
Christopher Richardson, then, may be able to help his fellow Board of Education trustees to drill down to look for monies in the budget & perhaps to raise funds for particular district programmes for which the provincial Ministry of Education has no interest (in his private life, he works raising monies for charitable foundations — raising and finding money), that may come in handy. In short, Christopher Richardson has mad skills.
Christopher Richardson also works across party lines. VanRamblings might say that there is no one on the planet who does not like and appreciate Christopher Richardson, as one of the kindest, most socially conscious, innocent of presentation men you might ever hope to meet — but in fact that would be understating the matter, because in fact there is no one in the known universe that does not love Christopher Richardson.
Working across party lines, possessed of superior negotiation skills, gets along with everyone no matter the circumstance, dedicated to improving life for children with special needs who are enrolled in the Vancouver system, skookum financial skills, a former Chairperson of Vancouver’s Board of Education, you may consider this be a full-throated endorsation of Christopher Richardson’s candidacy, to return to Vancouver’s Board of Education — where he belongs, working to enhance the quality of life for all children enrolled in Vancouver’s public education system.
Please save a vote for Christopher Richardson — you’ll be glad you did!
Allan Wong & Aaron LeungTwo critically important candidates to elect to Vancouver’s Board of Education
The extraordinary Allan Wong is the longest serving member of Vancouver’s Board of Education in the entirety of its 140-year history, the most dedicated, pacific, articulate and informed public education advocate VanRamblings has witnessed on the public education front in our lifetime.
In 2018, Allan Wong is joined by his steadfast public education advocate colleague, Aaron Leung — who, along with Jennifer Reddy, constitute our two favourite new candidates for Vancouver’s determinative School Board.
Aaron Leung, an engaged resident of Champlain Heights and a locally and nationally recognized public education advocate, for the past three years, has served as a one of the 21 members of the City of Vancouver Children, Youth and Families Advisory Committee — whose members range in age from 7 to 75 — and currently sits as the Committee’s Chair.
Mr. Leung has not only attended every Board of Education meeting in the past two years, he has also attended at and presented to the five committees of the Vancouver School Board — management, personnel, finance, planning and student services — where he has proven successful in moving the members of the five Board committees to recommend to the Board of Education the adoption of policies consistent with the best interests of children enrolled in Vancouver’s school system.
Along with the remarkably dedicated Allan Wong, long your advocate at the School Board table, and a must, must, must-elect at the advance polls, or on election day this upcoming Saturday — Aaron Leung is committed to being a strong advocate for greater youth and residents engagement in the decision-making process, increasing mental health supports for students, ensuring that Vancouver schools requiring seismic-upgrade mitigation receive the attention and funding required, while maintaining the work he began as co-founder of Vancouver School Board’s sustainability initiative.
Allan Wong and Aaron Leung: critically important candidates for School Board.
Janet Fraser & Estrellita GonzalezBringing calm, reason and a work ethic to the Vancouver School Board table
Here’s what VanRamblings wrote about Janet Fraser earlier this year …
There exists in our city, governance serving the public interest that sets the standard for democratic engagement — the likes of which VanRamblings does not recall ever previously having witnessed in the public realm. We are, of course, speaking of the work of Chairperson of the Vancouver School Board, Janet Fraser, who meeting in, meeting out conducts a Master Class on how one must conduct a meeting, efficiently and well, in the public interest, respectful meetings of democratic engagement, where the dedicated Board of Education trustees are encouraged to work as a team — and woebetide the person who does not accede to Dr. Fraser’s unspoken ordinance.
For Dr. Janet Fraser, outward appearance to the contrary, is a tough as nails, brooks no nonsense, respectful, engaged & informed Chairperson, who demands the best from those sitting around the VSB Board table, who absolutely and utterly does not ever allow untoward commentary to stand — the finest and most democratic public official, and Chairperson of any civic body we have ever had the privilege of witnessing.
Dr. Janet Fraser. Master Class in Meeting Conduct. Every Chairperson of every body, be it housing co-op, arts organization, elected body, or in any other forum where people come together to promote good governance and democratic decision-making would do themselves well to arrive at the offices of the Vancouver School Board to watch Janet Fraser conduct a master class in meeting conduct. Your faith in government will be affirmed.
‘Nuff said. VanRamblings is fully on board with Dr. Janet Fraser. We enthusiastically endorse her for another term at the School Board table.
Work ethic. Were we saying, ‘work ethic’? VanRamblings believes that if you look up that term in the dictionary or online, a picture of Estrellita Gonzalez appears opposite that phrase. Since her election to the Vancouver Board of Education in October 2017, Estrellita Gonzalez has proven to be a voice of quiet reason at the School Board table, engaging, with a warm spirit — and you know what thrills me the most about Ms. Gonzalez?
Estrellita Gonzalez, in this last term of School Board — during a few of the most trying meetings of the Board of Education — proved a true friend to a sometimes beleageured Carrie Bercic. Carrie’s an activist, and that doesn’t always go over well at the sometimes contentious School Board table. But meeting in, meeting out as the year, went on, Estrellita Gonzalez, sitting to Carrie’s right, took Carrie’s side on various issues — and truth be told, so did Chairperson Janet Fraser/ Although she didn’t always vote with Carrie Bercic, Ms. Gonzalez’s humanity always, always always shone through.
We’ll say this about the candidature of Estrellita Gonzalez for School, and he past year on Vancouver’s Board of Education: Estrellita Gonzalez is the hardest working member of School Board. Ms. Gonzalez knows the issues, researches like mad, and even though she’s raising a wonderful son who attends Eric Hamber Secondary, and runs a thriving small business, and more than fulfills her myriad obligations as Board Committee Chair, liaison to half a dozen elementary school and two Vancouver secondary schools — and more, so much more — Ms. Gonzalez has become a dedicated community activist, and a parent and child advocate of the first order.
Vote Janet Fraser & Estrellita Gonzalez for Vancouver School Board.
Diana DayBringing much-needed change to the Vancouver School Board table.
All across the United States, major metropolitan school districts have created and funded high schools dedicated to changing the destinies of inner city children who are at risk. In Vancouver, when we have an indigenous high school population with Canada’s lowest rate of graduation, when it is clear to anyone with eyes & a heart that, given that we have Xpey’ elementary school for at risk indigenous youth, if we are to improve the graduation rates for our teenage native youth, we need a high school dedicated to indigenous teenagers enrolled in the Vancouver school system.
The mission of COPE candidate for Vancouver’s Board of Education, Diana Day: make the realization of an indigenous standalone mini school a reality.
One more thing, here’s Patrick Condon, Founding Chair and professor at the urban design programme of the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and recent mayoral candidate whose campaign was cut short by a stroke, who has enthusiastically, pointedly and poignantly ENDORSED Diana Day for School Board …
“I can’t let this election go by without giving a push for Diana Day, COPE candidate for school trustee. Diana is one of this elections few indigenous candidates. In addition she has a BA in Psychology and is a single mom to two great kids. Her experience as an indigenous single parent, helping her kids prepare for post secondary education taught her how important it is to maintain a caring school environment and for parents to stay active in the education of their kids. Finally, Diana thinks she has a lot to contribute to solving problems of youth homelessness, many of whom are indigenous. Diana is keenly aware of the stresses on indigenous families and their young people. She has the understanding needed to help in this crisis. Please vote for Diana Day, COPE candidate for school trustee.”
Morgane OgerPlease consider Independent candidate for School Board, Morgane Oger
VanRamblings’ failure to place Morgane Oger’s name on our School Board Endorsement List was not just an oversight, it was a regrettable mistake of immense proportion, which if you look at the graphic at the end of this column, we have now remedied.
Morgane Oger’s name, and her candidature for Vancouver School Board, now recognizes Morgane Oger as an “alternate”.
VanRamblings’ experience around our past endorsements is that — as we wrote on social media yesterday in response to a query and comment by correspondent Adam Smith — is that there are 1, 2, or 3 of our endorsed candidates friends and readers cannot bring themselves to vote for — so having “recommendeds” or “alternates” gives those who read our musings on who and what would constitute a first-rate, democratic and engaged civic governance body a broader range of names from whom to select.
Also.
Barb ParrottPlease consider COPE candidate for School Board, Barb Parrott
VanRamblings’ City Council endorsement rationale is available here.
VanRamblings’ Park Board endorsement rationale may be found here.
VanRamblings’ all women slate for Council may be found here.
