Another New Westminster parent has stepped up to run for school board this fall.
Teo Dobre will be on the ballot with the New West Progressives in the Oct. 15 civic elections, mayoral candidate Ken Armstrong announced Thursday evening.
Dobre is an active community volunteer who lives in downtown New Westminster with his wife, Maria, and young son, a press release says. He has lived in New Westminster for the past five years.
The Romanian-born Dobre spent his high school and university years in the Lower Mainland and received a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Alberta.
He has been an active community organizer for the past 12 years, working to provide services and events to the local Romanian community. In 2019, he worked with colleagues in that community to raise money to provide clean water and build a new school in Mango, Nicaragua.
As a librarian and published author, Dobre “has a distinct awareness of the literacy and cultural needs of the students attending New Westminster schools in the context of a rapidly changing society,” the release says.
He believes physical education and an active lifestyle are not only integral to children’s development but also key to combating the negative effects students have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the release notes.
If elected, Dobre says he is committed to improving library services and collections and to improving the delivery of better research skills to New Westminster students. He also plans to advocate for more mental health support and for funding to create better sports programs in schools to further address the effects of the pandemic.
“We have all witnessed how the recent pandemic has caused an unwelcome detour to our children’s education and development,” Dobre said in the release. “I am excited to run with the New West Progressives because I believe our common belief in engaging with parents and students so they are active participants in our schools will make sure our students’ mental and physical well-being remains a priority.”
Dobre joins incumbent trustee Danielle Connelly on the Progressives’ slate for school board. The board of directors will conclude its nomination process by the end of June, the NWP says.
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