School boards equally important

Dear Editor:

James Miller’s editorial (Courier, May 11) in which he suggests that, as a long-term school trustee, I should “move to a higher level” by running for Peachland Council, is almost complimentary. However, I would like to set the record straight.

First of all, I do not agree with his proposition that city or town councils are senior to boards of education. In fact, they are equal and parallel in standing within the provincial governmental system. They just have different roles and responsibilities.

Granted, many past and present trustees throughout the province viewed/view their positions as stepping stones to a “higher level” and while no one should be prevented from aspiring to different levels of public office, the idea that Boards of Education are at the very bottom of a political pyramid is both incorrect and, some may say, insulting.

Secondly, the reason I personally decided to run for school trustee evolved from my many years as a parent advocate with parent advisory councils locally, provincially, and nationally when my three sons were students. There is nothing more important to parents, and to our society in general, than a high quality education for our future leaders and citizens, and I take great pride in my efforts to help all students be successful.

With all due respect to our mayors and councillors, the future of our students is far more urgent and important to me than discussions about zoning permits and mill rates, for instance. This is why I have continued to run for the position of school trustee rather than seek other public office as I have been encouraged to do in the past.

My third point is about the suggestion that there should be a time limit for elected politicians in a particular level of government. This again misses the point. It isn’t a question of the number of years in office, it’s the quality exhibited during those years that’s important. Some politicians deserve to be voted out of office as soon as possible. Others should be able to serve for as long as the majority of voters elect them. Any politician can be removed from office at election time, which is the way it should be in our democratic system.

While I appreciate all the attention Mr. Miller has been giving local boards of education, I feel it’s necessary to respond to his comments in his editorial “Either step up or step back”. Moyra Baxter, Trustee Central Okanagan Board of Education Peachland