CANDIDATE PROFILE: Sean Campbell

What do you think is the biggest issue facing SD73 and how would you use your elected position to address it?

We have had one school built in 25 years. We have exactly $0 allocated in the provincial capital projects list. Some of our schools are 40, even 60 years old, and we’re still years away. It has to be better. It will be important to vote for change in this election. The need is obvious, but we’re not the only district where that is true in B.C. We have to advocate from a political lens and tap into as many alternative budgets as possible to make it easy for the MOE to say yes to new builds or major renovations here in Kamloops.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing students and how would you address it?

PISA scores are down across industrialized countries, and study after study is showing that the time students spend on devices and social media is having a major impact. You can’t learn when your attention span is getting shorter, and your anxiety is through the roof because you don’t know how to navigate the onslaught of media our kids are faced with. I want to build on what we’re doing around digital and financial literacy, so students have the critical thinking skills they need to navigate our online world (cyberbullying, deepfakes, online gambling, misinformation, rage bait, confirmation bias… the list goes on and on). Building these skills will help improve student’s grades now and thrive in an ever-increasing digital world.

What are your thoughts on communication between SD73, its schools and the region’s residents? As a trustee, would you speak to your votes and decisions on the record?

Communication needs to be significantly improved. Through the district communications department and through relationships with local media. We need more of it, and it needs to be full of blunt honesty and solutions. I would relish the opportunity to make that connection between the board and our community.

Following a term highlighted by allegations of bullying and harassment by its former superintendent and a $2.2 million budget shortfall, how would you use your position to bring stability to the school district?

It’s been incredibly frustrating for teachers and parents alike to see massive severance packages paid out to senior admin. Hundreds of thousands of dollars that should be going to our kids! How many field trips, sports programs, art rooms, or supports for kids with special needs have we lost? These are not symptoms of a well-run organization and trust in our current trustees to manage their responsibilities has been damaged. It is time for a change. We need new ideas and fresh energy in our trustee positions. We need to rebuild trust with this community.

Why should residents give you their vote?

I’m passionate about public education in our city and bring a strategy for student growth beyond “I will listen and fight for more funding.” By building on digital and financial literacy in our district we will give our kids the skills to succeed in a rapidly changing world, and every opportunity to reach their potential. With more than 20 years of experience in a leadership role at one of the world’s largest publishers and as a parent and lifelong member of the Kamloops community, I bring both professional experience and a personal commitment to making SD73 the best it can be.

by CFJC Today

CANDIDATE PROFILE: Sean Campbell

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