CANDIDATE PROFILE: John O’Fee

A critical component of a sustainable economy is a literate, numerate and motivated population. As a university professor I now see students as they emerge from the public school system and I can evaluate their readiness for next steps in their educational journey. This gives me a unique perspective to contribute to the collective view of our board as we set strategic directions for our district and its students.

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

A well functioning board collaborates and develops a clear vision for the future of schools. As technology and the economy change, the education system, at all levels, must also adapt and change with it. In terms of a major issue, we are as a nation, collectively aging while at the same time having a declining birth rate.

Now, more than ever, students need to be equipped with the skills necessary to fill the jobs a modern world requires. The days of the low-skill/high-wage jobs are largely behind us. Today’s students need to be ready to acquire the skills necessary to succeed and thrive.

Some of the trades transition programs in our high school are a good example of how we can assist students take the next steps in a career journey that will send them towards a viable career.

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

School trustees need to collaborate and work collectively. No one trustee has the ability to address an issue on their own. Our economy will change in ways we have not anticipated and I feel it is a mistake to presume we know what the future holds.

When I was a high school graduate in Kamloops, being able to program a computer using Pascal typed onto punch cards was “the next big thing” (it wasn’t). Instead, our school system needs to produce, literate, numerate students who are able to adapt to changing circumstances.

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?

Transparency is critical and I feel I have always been willing to speak on issues. Trustees are bound to confidentiality around issues concerning land, legal and labour matters. Sometimes these restrictions are temporary and at times, they are permanent.

In retrospect, I do feel our district could have done a better job engaging in public consultation and getting the facts before the public in a more meaningful way.

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 would be unprofessional and improper to speak about any personnel matter, just as it would be for anyone else’s employer. Faced with the budget shortfall, the board and its staff formulated a multi-year plan to address both current issues, structural problems and future challenges.

As has been publicly reported and supported by an independent auditor, our school district now has a substantial surplus as well as a three per cent (roughly $6.5 million) contingency fund. This puts us in a strong position to adapt to and manage what is projected to be an enrolment decline in the coming years.

Why should residents give you their vote?

Over my years of public service in this community I have shown my ability to work on a team towards achieving a shared goal. That is the critical skill required to be an effective board member. I’m proud to be included among many other great, community minded people as having helped build numerous projects in this city.

This would include McGowan Park, Juniper Ridge and Snine elementary schools, the rebuilt Parkcrest School, and the expanded Valleyview Secondary School. It would also include the Tournament Capital Centre, the Olympic Rink on McArthur Island, the airport expansion project, the water treatment plant, the renovated emergency room facilities at RIH and the addition of the Gaglardi tower to our hospital.

If elected, I will continue to advocate for public education and lend my voice to what I hope will be an effective and cohesive school board.

by CFJC Today

CANDIDATE PROFILE: John O’Fee

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