No matter how the vote shakes up on Oct. 18, at least two faces will be familiar on the Rocky View Schools Board of Trustees in the upcoming term.
Due to a lack of candidates in their respective wards, incumbents Shali Baziuk and Norma Lang will be acclaimed on Oct. 18, as they were the only candidates to register for the trustee positions in Ward 1 (Chestermere) and Ward 2, which covers the public schools in north Rocky View County.
Baziuk, a first-term trustee, said she is relieved to know she has the green light to continue as Chestermere’s public school representative, though she added she was looking forward to campaigning this fall.
“In one sense, I am happy to be acclaimed in that I’m already focused on the school year and the meetings we have planned for November – I’m already looking forward to all the things that need to get done and am working toward them,” she said. “I appreciate being able to think in those terms, but I absolutely miss the idea of campaigning.”
Even though she doesn’t need to vie for votes, Baziuk said she is still in campaign mode in the lead-up to election day, as she wants to get the message out to the community about the importance of public education. She said she has asked for a few minutes of floor time at each of the municipal election forums in Chestermere.
“Every opportunity to speak about the needs for schools and the importance of education is something I want to take advantage of,” Baziuk said.
“The process [of campaigning] is a great opportunity to meet people and touch base with what the priorities are from your constituents.”
With her second four-year term on the horizon, Baziuk said her main focus will be continuing to advocate the need for new schools in Chestermere. Considering the lakeside city’s status as one of Canada’s fastest growing communities, she said the influx of young families has resulted in a strain on the city's public schools, in terms of student enrolment.
“Portables are a band-aid, and although they're welcome because we can use them, what we need is infrastructure,” Baziuk said, adding it’s a message she’s been espousing to local candidates for mayor and council this year.
“If [our next council] wants to represent their constituents, many of their constituents are young families with kids in the school system,” she said. “Their priorities should align with my priorities as the school trustee.”
Other than promoting the need for new schools in Chestermere, Baziuk said her other “platform” point for the upcoming term is to increase the amount of collaboration between Chestermere schools and local businesses, volunteer organizations, and social services. She said these partnerships would give students more opportunities for hands-on learning and real-world application.
Norma Lang
RVS’ other acclaimed candidate this fall is Ward 4 trustee Norma Lang, who represents the public schools in Crossfield, Beiseker and Kathyrn, in addition to three Hutterite colonies.
Like Baziuk, Lang said she is relieved to know that as an acclaimed candidate, she can already start preparing for the upcoming term. That being said, she added she would have appreciated some competition in Ward 4, as an election campaign would help amplify the needs of the area’s public schools.
“I think elections are democracy at its best,” Lang said. “It would be exciting to have a competition, because without one, it's hard to amplify those messages about schools and the connections between schools and the community.
"There is no local government where more dollars are at play in our area than in the public education system. We definitely want, as a community, to advance our strongest candidates to make those decisions and invest those dollars in the best possible way for student outcomes and community outcomes.”
While many of the urban communities under RVS, such as Airdrie, Chestermere and Cochrane, are in need of new schools, Lang said there is a different narrative in Ward 4. As a rural community, she said the ward experiences fluctuating enrolments and is generally in need of more building maintenance, rather than the creation of new schools.
She said Ward 4 is a “complex” ward, given the region’s large geographical size and the number of municipalities – Rocky View County, the Town of Crossfield, Village of Beiseker, and Town of Irricana – that fall within its jurisdiction.
“It's a constant effort to make sure our needs aren't forgotten,” she said.
According to Lang, school board elections often run the risk of being drowned out by the often higher-profile municipal elections for Cities, Towns, Villages and Counties, which happen concurrently.
But given RVS’ size and budget, she said she hopes voters take the time to vet their trustee candidates with the same vigour they would their local mayoral or council candidates.
"There are a lot of dollars at play in Rocky View School Division,” she said. “People probably don't realize how much, because they feel they live in a smaller community. They're often surprised to hear we're the fifth largest school division in the province and our annual operating budget is upwards of $290 million.”
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
