This Saturday, Osoyoos residents have a chance to vote for a new school trustee for the board of School District 53.
Whether or not you have children in the school system, this is an important vote for our community and its future.
This is a by-election to fill a vacancy for one of the two trustee positions representing Osoyoos and Regional District Area A.
Long-time trustee June Harrington announced this summer that she is stepping down.
Harrington fought valiantly earlier this year to keep both Osoyoos schools open, but at times she was the only one on the board supporting this position.
No doubt this took a toll on her. She has served Osoyoos well for 26 years.
The new trustee must continue to strive for a quality education system, while also being cognizant that the threat of school closures will continue to lurk in the background.
The economic and demographic health of Osoyoos depends on being able to provide complete K-12 education within our own community.
It can’t ever be forgotten that the two Oliver school trustees fought tooth and nail to close Osoyoos Secondary School – even after the provincial government stepped forward with the necessary funds to keep the school open.
Nor should it be forgotten that the provincial government only offered the funding through the Rural Education Enhancement Fund at the very last minute, having previously insisted that the school closure was a local decision. This funding for OSS is not guaranteed beyond two years.
Osoyoos is fortunate that three strong candidates have put their names on the ballot to become our next trustee. Each has strengths and weaknesses, so we encourage local residents to scrutinize them carefully and then get out and vote.
In the advance poll on Oct. 26, only 137 local residents turned out to vote. We hope the turnout is much, much higher on Saturday, Nov. 5. Polling is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the library at Osoyoos Elementary School.
Just walk in the doors, go straight ahead, cast your ballot and leave, knowing you’ve done your bit to ensure that Osoyoos is well represented on the school board.
There are three candidates: Casey Brouwer, Penny Duperron and John Redenbach. The Osoyoos Times gave each of them two chances to make their pitch to voters – once in an interview after they filed their papers and a second time when we invited them to submit up to 700 words for last week’s paper on why voters should choose them. Those articles are also available online at www.OsoyoosTimes.com.
We found Duperron’s submission and interview to be thoughtful and articulate. She may, however, be less well known than the other two to local residents. But she came here from Smithers in 2002, so she’s not exactly a newcomer.
Brouwer is arguably the most active in the community, coaching basketball and serving as a volunteer firefighter among other things. Many also know him through his work with the Town of Osoyoos.
Brouwer was the least involved of the three candidates on the school closure issue, saying that while he would have been saddened as a coach if OSS had closed, he “knew” it would stay open.
Redenbach is the only one of the three candidates who went to school in Osoyoos, having come here at the age of 12.
He spoke out against the closure of OSS and even went head-to-head with MLA Linda Larson in an email exchange on the issue.
In his write-up, he talks about the high and low points of his life, but we’re still left wondering what his education priorities are beyond the worthy issue of fostering programs for the trades.
It’s unfortunate that there is no all-candidates forum to hear from the three, as some local residents suggested.
We hope though that residents will read the pitches from the candidates and maybe corner them on the street or the phone if you still have questions. Then, please get out and vote on Saturday.
