Chronicles of a Rookie Green Party School Trustee (2002 - 2005)

Out With The New, In With The Old

Theres probably alot I could say about my last board meeting tonight but it feels like Ive already said so much here on the blog over the past three years, its hard to imagine what I could add at this point.

I did finally crack a bit this afternoon (unfortunately while trying to get through a grant deadline at work). After reading all those hundreds of emails over the past two weeks about what a huge loss it was, it did finally start feeling so.

But at the board meeting tonight, listening to the board chair, Adrienne Montani, read off the positive impacts for students from just a single year of our achievements, sitting through a sustained standing ovation for the outgoing board while the incoming board received less applause than the superintendents report (although I should say Chris Kelly gives a pretty mean report), I came to see it more as a celebration. A celebration of three amazing years of achievement and a validation of my own philosophy in life:

Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical program once recorded will not die but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with growing intensity.

Whether or not that will hold in the face of Ken Denikes, the new board chair, blunt threat tonight ÒIt is a new board. There will be major changes. time will tell. Those threatened changes were never articulated during the election campaign and the only thing hes said since then is that he doesnt like consultation. Good luck on that one Ken -- my own experience is that the community here has rather high expectations for its school board. And I say that like it's a good thing.

Whats next for me? My first family vacation in a couple of years. Recently former trustee Kevin Millsip and I are cooking up a little project but I will save a few words on that for when I get back.

Adrienne Montani, VSB Chairperson, Year-End Report to the Board, Dec. 5, 2005

A quick review of the past years events highlights that the Vancouver School Board never rests! I want to acknowledge at the outset of this report that this Board of Trustees has been one of the hardest working, most engaged boards this district has ever had. It has been a true privilege to work with such a talented and dedicated team.

One of the things a board is tasked with is leadership. The report out from the provincial District Review team this past June gave the District the highest marks for leadership and teamwork. They noted that leadership was notable at all levels of the organization, including among students, teachers, parents, principals and vice principals, and other staff. They also noted that school staff recognize the District leaders for their support, connection to schools and commitment to best practice and innovation. The leadership of our Superintendent of Schools, Chris Kelly, deserves particular mention, as recognized by the distinguished service award he received from the BC School Superintendents Association in May of this year.

Hard Days Night

You have to love local politics. In addition to having to govern while also running for election (other levels dissolve during the election period), we also have two weeks of meetings after the election. Its like reality politics having to sit through three hours of meeting less than 48 hours after youve lost an election.

But before I report on the board meeting, I have to thank the hundreds of people who have sent emails and phoned over the past few days. Its been another very humbling experience for me in my journey as a rookie elected official to receive such stunning support from so many people, even in defeat.

For those that I havent personally been able to reply to yet, I want to let you know that although I am personally disappointed, my real heartbreak is to see the progressive majority lost at the board. It was an incredible group of people that came together at the exactly the right time, when public education needed such courageous and principled defenders. We didnt always agree on everything in fact we often didnt agree on anything at the outset but we took the time to listen and come to consensus with respect for each other and out of a shared commitment to the institution of public education.

And Now...No More Words From our Sponsors

OK anyone who is claiming to write their own blog during an election campaign is either (a) genetically engineered to not need sleep, (b) running as a five term incumbent in a very small town or (c) pulling your leg.

Its been a little crazy the last month or so. It all started on about October 7 with the strike youd think wed have less meetings when school is not in session but such is not the case and from there its just gotten more and more over the top. Between running for election, running a major school district and running the countrys largest membership-based environment organization, Im starting to understand why running is the operative word.

But I wouldnt want to give the impression its not worth the sleep deprivation. The organization I work for just celebrated 25 years of saving wilderness and wildlife, the school board, after three long years of work on it, passed a policy tonight severely restricting the amount of corporate advertising in schools, and when else do you get to knock on thousands of peoples doors and engage them in a discussion on both public education and the electoral process??

All the more reason to keep a better record of it allbut its going to have to wait for a night with more time and less booked for the day after. For more information on my election campaign visit andreareimer.ca or click on the button to the left.

Critical Thinking 12: We Are Not Hostages

Youth at a student-organized rally in Vancouver today. Lessons abounded: the photos were taken by a friend, Chloe Mullington, who is a grade 11 student at Kitsilano Secondary and has an interest in being a professional photographer.

Memo to BC Liberals: Stop the Car

Like many parents in BC today, my daughter was in tow when I left for work this morning. With school closed indefinitely well be trying the patience of my workmates and the stamina I have for multi-tasking.

Being a school trustee in addition to my day job, my workday now also includes stopping by picket lines to offer support on the way to work, finding time throughout the day to take calls from understandably distraught parents, cramming in frantic emails to and from district staff on issues that inevitably emerge with our many community partners and, finally, working with other trustees to try and get some response from the government. (To date, we havent got so much as a smoke signal).

In the middle of all this, my curious daughter wants to know what exactly is going on. She watches the news with me, listens to the talk shows on CKNW at work, asks my co-workers for clarification and discusses her insights with the other kids whove taken to camping in our office. Shes eight so it can be a little funny to listen to. But when I asked her this afternoon if she wanted to come with me to the teachers rally in Vancouver she immediately answered Of course, Mom. If someone is getting bullied, its important to stand up for them. From the mouths of babes.

Good. Bad. Ugly. One Day in October.

I couldnt imagine a day that could start better: after three years of lobbying the board and anyone who would listen, we finally passed an official VSB recognition of International Walk to School Week (October 3-7 for those in less enlightened parts of the world :) as well as a determined effort at the board offices for district staff to also walk to school as it were. Theres nothing like setting the tone at the top.

But it didnt stop there. We also had a public event this morning attended by five other trustees, many of whom actually appeared to have walked to the event, PLUS through the active lobbying of a fantastic parent Translink voted to give FREE TRANSIT for all school-aged kids all week long. What more could a Green Party trustee possibly ask for? I bopped off to work from the morning event feeling pretty good.

After a pretty fulfilling four hours of work, I turned on the news at 1:30 only to hear it announced that Labour Minister Mike de Jong was planning legislative intervention in teacher contract bargaining within 40 minutes. Rumors had been flying all last week about this possibility but up until that moment, it seemed incredulous that the provincial government would once again spend months bargaining only to impose the very same contract they imposed, a contract made by ripping the guts and feathers out of years of teacher bargaining, only three years before.

3, 2, 1

The first school board meeting of the 2005-2006 school year was tonight and even hours later (not to mention many dozen emails!) Im still of two minds on it. The items on the agenda were relatively benign but its hard to ignore the strong under current of the imminent election lying underneath it all.

After much agonizing I finally decided over the summer to run for re-election (see www.vangreens.bc.ca for the official announcement). The impact of all this on my family was definitely a consideration but there is also the ambivalence about where my change the world energy is best spent. When I was first elected I really did believe the ambitious agenda Id laid out for myself was doable in three years and it's hard to conceded to myself it's not finished yet.

Not that there haven't been a lot of successes it felt fantastic tonight to pass formal motions on Walk to School Week, to talk about lobbying the province for money to support expanded funding for phys ed facilities and to hear the in camera items reported out in public session but I do feel like theres work left to do. The tone adpoted by our provincial bargaining agent, BCPSEA, is an immediate thing that springs to mind as needing some work. More broadly and at a fundamental level, when I do step off the board Id like to know that every single person, no matter what role they have in Vancouvers schools, feels like they have a voice and accessible avenues to use it. That and the many positive notes, calls and personal expressions of encouragement that it's possible to get to the place I imagine the district can go, makes it worth the effort to run for re-election.

Four Weeks Late

Im not even going to try and explain the length between blog postings other than to say wow! this is how normal people live. Since I crawled into bed after our last board meeting on July 4th Ive spent more time with my family, friends and favourite community events than I remember being able to sustain since I was elected (not to mention getting reacquainted with my pillow!). Sure theres still work to be done, events to attend, festivals to sing O Canada at, but its a lot more relaxing not to have that treadmill of work all day, evening meetings all night.

With a few good sleeps under my belt its easier to see why I was SO exhausted for the last few months of this school year, my third on the school board. For the first two years I was elected, I spent about the same amount of time on school board duties as I did this year but got enough sleep and relaxation time to feel mostly normal. The price of that was getting behind on my other full time job. As a result I spent the last two summers continuing to work 80 hours a week, albeit focused on just one job, but with the stress of trying to get through the pile on my desk before the school year and the endless march of evening meetings started again.

Modest Ideas, Radical Implications

Its hard to realize it from the outside but some of the most important political decisions pass through the halls of decision making with little or no fanfare. But these modest proposals can lay the groundwork for some of the most radical implications for public policy.

Tonight we passed a bylaw which I believe will accomplish exactly that: starting tonight our board and every future Vancouver School Board will be required to report out both that weve had an in camera meeting and, at least in broad terms, on the content of those in camera meetings.