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Candidate bio: Alisa Horth

Alisa Horth is running for school trustee with ParentsVoice BC
Alisa Horth
Alisa Horth (ParentsVoice BC)

I grew up in Sidney on Vancouver Island and I am married with one son.

My father was a fisherman on the West coast and my mother worked at a local hospital. I am the youngest of four children and completed a Bachelor of Arts at UVIC and a Bachelor of Architecture from UBC.

Prior to university, I travelled and studied extensively in Europe and finally settled in Vancouver, where I met my husband and started my family. Rather than pursuing a career in architecture, I started a successful millinery business and have sold products across Canada, the US and Europe and have been frequently featured in numerous fashion magazines.  

Six years ago, we moved to Ladner. In this time, I have witnessed enormous changes to our schools and more recently, a very aggressive push to keep parents in the dark about every aspect of the education system.

I have attempted to engage with principals, trustees and school coordinators to discuss some of the problems that I have been seeing and there has been little cooperation in securing the answers that I have been seeking.

Upon talking to friends, neighbours and the larger community I have learned that my concerns are not unique. Knowing this I have decided that it's time to look to making a change and the best way possible is to become a school trustee. 

I believe in the health and wellbeing of all children and feel that parents should have greater input in the direction of their education. A school trustee should be transparent and neutral and put the needs of the children ahead of special interest groups and government agendas.

I hope that you will consider me on Oct. 15 along with the other candidates on the ParentsVoice BC slate.

What are your election issues?

I've seen enormous changes to schools over the years and, more recently, an aggressive push to alter the education curriculum without parental input or consultation.

This drove me to question the quality of the education being delivered to our children and to demand answers.

I've talked to principals, school board trustees and school coordinators, none of whom seemed interested in my concerns. Instead of an open and transparent dialog, I was met with apathy and disinterest.

This led me to run for school trustee so I can help create an environment where parents' voices will be heard by those who are elected to serve them, as that is the primary responsibility of school trustees.

I’m also concerned about the shift away from the core educational skills that serve as the foundation for all success in life and towards an agenda more suitable for the political arena than our children’s classrooms.

BC’s public schools belong to parents and the communities where they’re located, not to labour unions, teachers’ federations and government bureaucrats. I’m running for trustee so I can help our school board remember its primary purpose is to serve parents, not to dictate to them.