Peter Kerek Asks:
There are many school-aged children living below the poverty line in Kamloops and across Canada. What role, if any, do you feel a school trustee should play in advocating for economic justice for these kids?
Your opening statement is very true. On the local level, the Board works with staff and schools in developing and partnering with community organizations to tackle the issues children face when living in poverty: breakfast programs, lunch programs, the starfish backpack project, donation rooms, etc. Trustees also have a provincial organization, the British Columbia School Trustees Association, which advocates to the Provincial and Federal governments on social issues that trustees believe are a foundation to public education, and topping that list is children in poverty.