We are relieved, even a bit excited, to see three residents have filed nomination papers to run for one vacant seat on the West Vancouver Schools board of education. We salute all three. It is an honourable way to serve your community and it takes guts to put your name forward.
Of course, we want our readers in West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lions Bay to do their civic duty and get informed and vote. But we worry that we are in for a repeat of the 2021 North Vancouver school board byelection.
In that case, barely two per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot. Voter turnout that low leads to legitimate questions about whether elected school boards are even necessary when so many of the critical decisions and funding powers are held by the Ministry of Education.
Of all our elected officials, school trustees draw the least public scrutiny and attention. People who don’t have kids in school feel less inclined to stay informed. And unless a board has found themselves in a scandal, most other constituents are checked out.
Whichever candidate tops the polls on April 3 has ability to change things for the better. We suggest they make their first motion a call for SD45 to begin streaming, recording and posting their school board meeting videos online, just like the vast majority of other elected bodies do. In 2025, lack of technology or know-how can hardly be excuses.
It is a small step that will pay big dividends in transparency and give the wider public a chance to understand and, therefore, value what school boards do.
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