Langley’s Parents Advisory Councils are hoping to quiz the seven candidates vying for a seat in the upcoming school board byelection.
The District Parents Advisory Council (DPAC) is sending out requests to all the candidates to take part in one-on-one interviews in the coming days, said the group’s president, Alicia Rempel.
“We have five questions that we feel are top of mind for parents in Langley,” Rempel said.
The idea is to record the sessions and then make them available for viewing by parents who are attending the Thursday, Feb. 18 DPAC general meeting.
The meeting, to be held virtually over Zoom, begins at 7 p.m. and is free to attend, but requires registration in advance.
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The candidates for the post include Joel Neufeld, Alex Joehl, Phyllis Heppner, Grant Gilmour, Charlie Fox, Stacey Wakelin, and Holly Dickinson, who have all filed nomination papers.
Fox, a longtime former principal and Township councillor, is the most prominent, but Joehl, Heppner, and Wakelin have all run for office in the past, Neufeld has been involved in a Black Lives Matter walk in Fort Langley, Gilmour is a well-known volunteer, and Dickinson is a school teacher herself.
The byelection was sparked by the departure from the board of former chair Megan Dykeman, who left to take up her new position as NDP MLA for Langley East after October’s provincial election.
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Parents attending can also hear a presentation on careers with the Langley School District, reports from Board of Education trustee Tony Ward, from superintendent of schools Gord Stewart, and take part in breakout sessions with other parents. The sessions will be focused around brainstorming ideas for PACs to celebrate students with school activities or events that can be accommodated under the current physical distancing rules.
The byelection is to be held on Saturday, Feb. 27, with advance voting on Feb. 17, 18, and 19.
