Former Delta Teachers' Association president Val Windsor has announced her candidacy for Delta school board, saying trustees have been silent about the real needs of Delta classrooms far too long.
"I have been an active participant in the education system from almost all sides of the teachers' desk," said Windsor, "and I believe that the experience I have had from my various roles as parent, teacher, president of the local teachers' association and councillor on the B.C. College of Teachers will enhance the service I can provide to Delta as a school trustee."
The main issue Windsor intends to be an advocate for Delta students is the real cost of funding for students with special needs.
"Delta residents do not realize that the provincial government does not fully pay for the costs of supporting students with special needs," said Windsor. "A student requiring full-time education assistant support, for example, receives only $36,000 in funding while the real cost is considerably higher once the cost of benefits and pensions are added to a salary; this figure does not include the teacher and other specialists' salaries.
"I fully support integration of students with special needs in classrooms. The ministry, however, needs to pay school districts like Delta the full cost of supporting vulnerable students."
The downloading of extra costs to boards by the provincial government is another concern for Windsor. For the government to expect boards to balance their budgets after the school year begins means further cuts need to be made to student support and programs.
She said Delta elementary schools cut most of their music programs several years ago in order to balance the budget. Windsor also said no school in Delta has a full-time teacher/librarian; yet literacy is even more critical today than ever before.
She's also concerned that all Delta schools are forced to embark on fundraising to pay for basics. Some schools, however, have differing abilities to raise funds, which she said leads to "have" and "have not" school populations.
Windsor said many schools are forced to depend on their parent advisory committees to supplement basic supplies that are depleted before the end of the school year. She said the employer should reasonably be expected to provide these supplies.
Where schools once had some discretionary funds to help offset extra costs, she said no such funds exist today.
"School trustees in Delta have worked hard to protect the classroom," said Windsor, "and it shows in the results of provincial and international testing. As a trustee, I will work to ensure that Delta's classrooms continue to be protected. I believe that government needs to change the funding formula and to increase the funding of public schools."
The municipal election is set for Nov. 19.
