School trustee candidate Tim Bennett says it's time to mend fences and open the lines of communication.
Parents have a huge stake in what goes on with their children in School District 57 classrooms and Bennett says the new board that gets elected this Saturday will have work to do to convince parents their opinions and suggestions will be taken into account and acted upon.
"Since 2002, parents have been on the defensive in our district fighting tooth and nail for their school, and now with the current job action the relationship with teachers is not the most healthy relationship," said Bennett.
"Not enough stakeholders feel their voice is being heard on a district level and I feel it's time for change, time for the new board to come in and work with all the stakeholders, the parents, students and teachers, to regain some trust and help them realize we are working for them and we will listen to what they have to say because they have some great ideas," he said.
"The More With Less document that was created in 2010 as a solution to school closures had 45 great ideas and it feels that document was just looked at and shelved and no discussion has happened since about ways we can reallocate funding for the students in our school district."
Key in protecting services in schools, Bennett said, is putting pressure on government to change the funding formula that shapes class composition and finding ways to cut spending in areas that won't adversely affect the needs of students.
"As much as I have respect for the current board and the struggles they've had over the three years, I feel that the decisions they made were very reactive to the situation," said Bennett. "There are better opportunities to reallocate some of the funds we do receive to put more money back into the classroom.
"I feel there is room for efficiencies and by thinking ahead and being very proactive we can ensure that services are not cut down the road and we can find ways to reopen schools rather than to cut service."
Bennett, 25, grew up in Prince George and his working career has been dedicated to non-profit organizations. For the past six years he's worked in programming for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, now serving as the interim executive director. He's served as a program manager for the Active Support Against Poverty youth program and was also part of the regional and provincial board of Scouts Canada. Bennett is the current president of Volunteer Prince George.
He says the new board should take advantage of technology and utilize programs like Skype and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to connect with rural schools and encourage more dialogue with educators and parents who live away from population centres.
"The big thing I want to bring from my background to the board of education is a very proactive approach," said Bennett. "I was very shocked to learn the school district does not have a current strategic plan and that a lot of the policies and procedures have come to be outdated. We need a strategic plan and updated policies and procedures to do what they do best, and that's teach."
