Andrea Hilder is one of the Delta school trustee candidates running in this month's civic election. Here are her responses to a questionnaire from the Optimist:
1. Bio – Tell readers a bit about yourself and why you are running for office.
I have been an educator and child advocate for 20 years. I have been Delta's classrooms; I know what works and where we still have work to do. I bring a unique perspective to school board, representing under-served populations such as students with Indigenous ancestry, students with designations, their families, and the staff that support them.
2. Most pressing issue – What issue are you most passionate about and what action will you take on it?
The biggest issue that faces Delta, in my opinion, is inadequately funded classroom supports. We need the provincial government to properly fund school districts to provide consistency for students and staff. I will continue to work on increasing support to students who need it, and ensure that more supports are in place for staff to feel valued and supported.
3. The Delta school board has been able to bring additional per-pupil funding and revenues by attracting out-of-district students to Delta’s specialty academies. Should these programs be made free for Delta residents without having to apply for special exemptions?
Delta's academies were born out of a need to increase revenue in an ever-shrinking district. If the government properly funded public education, then we would not have fees for specialty programs like Delta's academies. The academies are not programs for-profit, so those monies have to come from somewhere. As a parent of an academy student, however, I would have preferred to pay less than my child's out of district counterparts. There are currently bursaries in place for families who are unable to shoulder the added cost of an academy program. Hopefully, the new funding formula will increase per student funding, and we will be able to reduce the cost of all of our academies.
4. The district has seen steady increases in the number of students from other countries in the International Student Program. By 2016/17 revenue climbed to just over $10 million. Part of that money has now gone into offsetting budget deficits. Do you support using those revenues for the operating budget and, if not, where should those monies be targeted?
Unlike many other districts, Delta's International Student Program is a self sustaining program. I do believe that part of that revenue should offset budget deficits, but I would honestly prefer if the provincial government would provide us with proper funding to run all of our programs.
5. The school board is proposing to work out a land deal with the City of Delta to build a new track facility in North Delta. Many other schools in the district will still be without upgraded tracks. Do you feel corporate sponsorship may be a possibility or are there other options you believe can be explored?
I do want to see the City of Delta partner with the Delta Board of Education to make improvements to community facilities like tracks and playgrounds. I'm hopeful that the new mayor and council, together with the new School Board will be able to work out some beneficial arrangements to do so. As to corporate sponsorship, I am not in favour of any public/private partnerships for anything to do with education. Once again, I look to the province to increase funding to districts so that they may make those improvements as necessary.
6. As a candidate for trustee, please explain the role of trustee and explain why you among all of these other candidates should be elected to it.
Unlike most of the other trustee candidates, I have attended every School Board meeting since January. Therefore, outside of the incumbents, I have a better grasp of what happens at the public meetings than any other candidates. In my every day work in classrooms, I consistently come up against issues resulting from improper funding, ineffective policies and years of drastic cuts. Every year in public education, we are asked to do much more with significantly less. I look forward to using my lived experience with students, staff, and families to inform my governance decisions. My hope is that the provincial government will increase the per student funding with the new funding formula, and we can improve on the good work the previous School Board has done.
