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Prince George election 2018: Tim Bennett seeks third term on school board

Voters head to the polls Oct. 20
Tim Bennett
(via Contributed)

On Oct. 20, Prince George residents will pick one mayor, eight councillors and five school trustees. The ballot will have two mayoral candidates, 13 councillor candidates and 11 school trustee candidates. There are also 15 candidates running in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.

PrinceGeorgeMatters has sent out a list of questions to those vying for a seat in public office.

 

Name: Tim Bennett

Running for: School trustee

Age: 32

Number of years lived in Prince George: 28

Current neighbourhood: Highland

Occupation: Executive director with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince George and SD 57 trustee

Reason community would recognize your name: I have been a trustee since 2011 and have been board chair since 2016. Have been with Big Brothers Big Sisters for almost 12 years. I was named the 2017 PG Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year, spent six years as the president of Volunteer Prince George. Growing up, I organized a Christmas seniors dinner for seniors living in Prince George.

What is the most important issue facing the School District 57, and how do you propose to deal with it?

One of the biggest issues facing our district right now is catchment and capacity. Our district is growing and we are quickly running out of space. This will need to be addressed by continuing the consultation started by the board and looking at options, whether it is changing catchment areas, trying to add space through the addition of portables and/or finding creative solutions that would not impact the educational needs of our students. The first round of consultation is complete and (we) learned a lot about what the community is looking for. We need to take some of that feedback and look at some different options as well. Before the future decisions are made, the board needs to continue consulting with stakeholders and committee and make sure the process remains transparent.

What is your specific reason for running?

First and foremost, I am passionate about public education and believe I still have work to do. I am seeking re-election for a third term on school board because there are some big challenges and opportunities on the horizon for both SD 57 and public education in B.C. I am confident I have the skills, leadership and experience to support the district and board and advocate for our students and staff. These challenges include addressing capacity issues in Prince George schools, advocating for our district and students as the government introduces changes to the education-funding formula, supporting our staff through the final implementation of the new curriculum and, as the employer, ensure a fair and respectful bargaining process with our teachers and support staff. These are all going to be faced by the new board in the next 12 to 18 months.

Where can the school board spend less? 

At this time, I don't believe we are in a position where things could be cut. We have made many difficult decisions over the past few years and have cut in so many places. Our board has made tough decisions over the years to ensure balanced budgets. The budget we approved for the 2018-19 school year is not only budgeted but we were able to add about $800,000 of additional staffing and resources to benefit students and staff in the classroom and build capacity in the board office.

Where should the school board be investing more?

I believe in the next couple of budgets (assuming changes to the funding formula do not negatively impact our district) need to invest a bit of our accumulated surplus to further build staff capacity and provide additional resources for students. Priorities that I have set in my platform include increased staffing and resources to support our venturing and vulnerable students. I would also like to see resources allocated to meet the recommendations made by the ad-hoc committee on technology and district technology committee. This will help improve our technological infrastructure and better meet the needs of our staff.

Next time you’re walking in the woods and you come face-to-face with a Sasquatch, what do you do?

Honestly, probably try to Instagram it. It would make one great Instagram story!

If the next school board does something film-worthy, who would play you in the film?

Hmm. Is Dwayne Johnson available? He could make a great school trustee and has the abs I don’t.

Complete the sentence...

When I’m not at home or at work, you can find me:...walking my dog Bentley at either Moores Meadow or Ginters. Also, I drink way too much coffee so I could be grabbing coffee at one of Prince George's awesome coffee shops. Oh, I also try to squeeze in some volleyball at the YMCA.

The most random, yet interesting fact about me is: I am a trombone-playing-trekkie who also loves a good musical!

My favourite beverage is: Unsweetened iced Americano with milk or the coffee lemonade from Play Grounds Café.

For Christmas/Hanukkah/the gift-giving season, I would like: New socks. Love fun and bold socks.

The best park in/near to Prince George is: We have a lot of great ones. Huble Homestead is always a great escape from PG.

If Prince George didn’t exist, I’d be living in: My wife Carli loves the ocean so perhaps on the Island or Coast. It would also be great to wake up with a great view of the mountains every morning. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Robson Valley.

When I need some pump-up music, I listen to: Have two Spotify playlists I turn to. One is a mix of upbeat country from the last decade. The second is my "throwback" and those are all great nostalgia songs that just make me feel happy.