An ad-hoc parent group that recently formed in response to the New Westminster school district’s failed fiscal management is holding its first public meeting this month.
Parents for Public Education (P4PE) will meet on Wednesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in room 1220 at Douglas College, according to a media release.
“Parents are concerned about New Westminster’s school district, and it’s time to get together to do something about it,” spokesperson Kelly Slade-Kerr said in the release. “Where do we have common ground? How can we rebuild confidence and support public schools we’re proud of? We have some ideas we’ll share, and we want to hear from parents.”
The group formed as a way to stir up interest and bring some fresh faces to the school board in the upcoming civic election, and the goal is to have a voice in this year's civic election in November, organizer Kelly Slade-Kerr told The Record last month.
"We are a group of concerned parents committed to public education who want to give parents a stronger voice in the upcoming school board elections," explained Slade-Kerr, a lawyer whose children attend École Glenbrook Middle School and Herbert Spencer Elementary. "Confidence in our school district has been shaken. We're not here to criticize – we're here to get more involved, find solutions and build confidence in our public schools."
Slade-Kerr told The Record she's felt the impact of recent budget cuts with the reduction of a French immersion resource teacher, and cuts to supplies, equipment and field trips.
The school district hit a major financial snag in 2012, when it revealed a multimillion-dollar surprise deficit. The following year, the district had to cut staff to balance the budget, and it still owes almost $5 million to the Ministry of Education for previous budget shortfalls.
