Voters will see some familiar faces running for the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board after all.
Chair Mike Murray has announced he will run again in the Oct. 20 local elections, and district parent advisory council chair Kim Dumore will also throw her hat in the ring.
So far, discussion about the school board elections has centred on who isn’t running, with four incumbents bowing out. Lisa Beare was successful in her bid for a seat in the B.C. legislature, and has left her seat at the school board table for one in the provincial cabinet. Trustee Susan Carr is going to run for Maple Ridge city council, and Ken Clarkson and Eleanor Palis have both said this will be their last term.
That leaves just three incumbent trustees, and neither Dave Rempel nor Korleen Carreras have announced an intention to seek office again.
That leaves at least four seats wide open for newcomers like Dumore. She said the new board will face an interesting challenge.
“It’s hard not to have experienced politicians (on the board), but it’s nice to have new voices around the table as well,” she said.
Dumore got involved in the school system when her child entered kindergarten. Her daughter is now in Grade 9.
Dumore has spent the past five years involved in the education system with the parent advisory council. She spent one year as a member at large, another as vice-president and three as chair. Prior to that, she was chair of the Laity View elementary parent advisory council, and was part of that group beginning in 2010.
Dumore is also on the city’s Opioid Overdose Response Task Force, which recently complete the Humans of Maple Ridge photography project. She has been involved with the youth council and helped create a breakfast and snack program for the district with the Friends in Need Food Bank.
Dumore said she has learned a lot, knows the system and her work ranges from serving on scholarship committees to volunteering in schools. She has also been to a lot of board meetings.
“On DPAC you learn the ropes, and understand the processes, and meet with senior team,” she said.
“I’m excited, and seem to have a decent amount of support in the community.”
Murray said he saw the exodus of his school board colleagues and decided the board is going to need some returning experience.
“I intend to run,” said Murray. “We have such a significant turnover on our board, and it’s important we have some people who have been on the board for a while.”
Murray has been board chair for two terms, which is the limit that the board has put for one person to hold the position.
The school board veteran said he is willing to speak with anyone who is interested in running for school board about what the position involves.
