New Westminster school trustee Mark Gifford wants to “stay in school.”
Gifford was one of two new trustees elected alongside five incumbents back in November 2014. Since then, he’s been a part of a number of milestones in the school district, including the long awaited funding announcement for the New Westminster Secondary School replacement project as well as seismic mitigation funding for Richard McBride and Lord Tweedsmuir elementary schools.
“I’m really proud of the work that the school board’s been able to do over the last four years. We’ve made real strides and in a number of different areas,” he told the Record.
But the work’s not done yet, and Gifford would like the opportunity to stay on and continue the work he and the current school board started.
“We’re in a good place. We’ve built a good foundation. We’ve batted way above our weight class when it comes to capital investments, and I don’t want to see us drop the ball on the projects we’ve got, both underway and those that are in negotiation,” he said.
Gifford wants to build on the work the district’s done to make schools more inclusive for all students, including initiatives like SOGI 123 (a province-wide resource for teachers about sexual orientation and gender identity) and the New Westminster school district’s sanctuary schools policy, which aims to protect a student’s right to an education no matter their immigration status.
“It’s deepening that work for kids and families who’ve been falling through the cracks, whether that’s newcomer kids or Indigenous families or kids who’ve got special needs and are really needing more flexibility and support through the system,” he said.
Gifford, who was elected school board chair, said he’s excited about the future of the school board.
“I’m anticipating we’re going to have a mostly new school board, and that’s fine. It’s a real time of renewal for the district. I’d like to be able to provide some continuity for the district and really build off the success we’ve seen,” he said.
Gifford is the executive director of the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House in East Vancouver, a position he’s held since 2016.
Gifford is running alongside first-time trustee candidates Anita Ansari, Maya Russell, Gurveen Dhaliwal and Dee Beattie, as part of Team Cote, a group of like-minded candidates who have been endorsed by the New Westminster and District Labour Council.
