School District 47 board of education chairperson Dale Lawson paid tribute to school trustees in her monthly school board meeting address.
At the May 12 school board meeting, Lawson said she wanted to start the meeting by taking a moment to express thanks and appreciation to former trustees Jackie Timothy, Russell Brewer and Aaron Reid. Timothy died earlier this year and Brewer and Reid resigned their positions, leading to a byelection for three trustees on April 24.
“Each helped to shape education in our community and I am honoured to have worked alongside them for the first two and a half years of my trustee experience,” said Lawson. “With that I would like to extend a warm welcome to trustees Brendan Behan, Jaclyn Miller and Rob Hill. I am truly grateful for the opportunity we have to govern together. Each of us bring different perspectives, experiences and ideas to the table. We will not always agree, and I don’t believe we are meant to, but if we can support, encourage and respect each other, we will be an effective board.”
Lawson then paid tribute to a former trustee who had a significant impact on BC education and provincial politics.
“Over the years I have had the privilege of listening to a variety of presentations from Carole James,” said Lawson. “As you may know, Carole has a long list of contributions to the communities she has served.”
Lawson said James spent time as the provincial minister of finance, deputy premier of BC, and MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill; she was chair of the Greater Victoria School Board, the longest serving president of the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA), and served as first and second vice-president of the Canadian School Boards Association, as well as serving as a foster parent for more than 20 years.
“I am always inspired by Carole’s dedication and commitment to making a difference,” said Lawson. “Most recently, I had the privilege of listening in on a town hall hosted by BCSTA where Carole likened the experience of learning to be a trustee to that of trying to drink from a fire hose.
“Carole offered many words of wisdom to her audience of trustees, explaining the need for patience in this marathon, encouraging all to stop, listen and learn, and hammered home the need to connect and perform together as a team. There is more than one way to get where we need to go, and during challenging times, we all need to remember what brought us here. We all just want to make a difference.”
