Citing her desire to continue providing a strong voice for public education, Rocky View Schools (RVS) Ward 3 Trustee Melyssa Bowen has announced her candidacy for a second term in the upcoming public school board election on Oct. 18.
“I’m running for re-election because I’m a passionate advocate for public education, and I really do believe in bringing the voice of my community members to the table,” said Bowen, who was first elected as one of RVS' three Airdrie-based trustees in 2017.
Bowen said she has learned a lot as an RVS trustee in the last four years, adding she hopes to parlay that experience into a second term on the board of trustees.
“What I’ve learned is how much there is to learn and that it’s valuable to take in as much information you can to do the best job you can for your community,” she said.
“I really want to continue to represent Airdrie as best as I can.”
While the trustees are responsible for making policy decisions on behalf of RVS, Bowen added she wanted to acknowledge the efforts of teachers and administrative staff in making the division tick.
“We’re there to support them and take on the community voice role, but it means we have to know a little – or a lot – about everything, so it’s a lot to take on in those first four years,” she said.
Looking ahead to the upcoming term, Bowen said she believes ensuring sufficient student spaces will continue to be one of RVS’ biggest priorities for its Airdrie-based schools. She added the city’s rapid population growth over the years means Airdrie requires the announcement of a new school from the Province nearly every year.
“And as we don’t receive those announcements, we’re always looking at where we can have students and try to create the best spaces for their learning,” she said.
Other focuses for the public school division, according to Bowen, include RVS' pandemic recovery plan – specifically, she said it will be important to make sure students have access to mental health resources.
One local item Bowen acknowledged could become an election issue for Airdrie’s candidates is the potential renaming of George McDougall High School, and RVS' overall approach toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Calls to rename the high school emerged earlier this year, after the discovery of more than 1,000 unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools across Canada. McDougall, who was a 19th-century Methodist missionary in Alberta, played a role in the development of such a school in Morley.
While Bowen said the current RVS board of trustees has been discussing the possible renaming of the school, she admitted the issue may not be settled by October, which means it could become an item the next board of trustees will deal with.
“It may be something that is resolved ahead of election time – I can’t say for sure,” she said. “I think it’s more of an ongoing piece, because we’re looking in general at what we can do to strengthen that relationship, look at reparations, and what we can do to have Indigenous students feel welcome in their school community.”
Looking back at the last four years, Bowen said what she feels RVS has done well as a school division is conduct public engagement. She cited transportation and budget consultation as examples.
“It’s so important we go out to families and really ask to see what the challenges are going to be with whatever decision we may end up making,” she said.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
