My name is John Bennie and I am seeking your support for school trustee for the Board of Education of School District 70 (Alberni). I have had the privilege of serving as a trustee for SD70 for 16 years, spanning five terms.
I have been married to my wife, Karen, for more than 20 years and between us we have four children. We were also foster parents for more than 10 years, and as such had a number of foster children in the public education system. I have been in the Alberni Valley since 1986, and have been a lawyer since 1983, presently as a sole practitioner in a home-based law firm.
My passion for the public education system got me involved as a trustee in 2002, and that passion continues to inspire me today. While the day-to-day challenges facing our public education system are often difficult, the rewards—the education of our children—are priceless. Education of our children is one of the cornerstones of our community and society.
I have participated in what is now our Aboriginal Education Committee for many years, and I intend to continue my interest and emphasis on aboriginal education. I am excited about the ongoing integration of Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations culture and language into our curriculum.
Our beautiful Alberni District Secondary School is a facility that will serve this community for years to come. The work continues as we advocate for new or seismically upgraded secondary and elementary schools in Ucluelet.
As always, I want to see the continuation of resources directed into the classrooms to assist our teachers in educating our special needs learners—they are among our most vulnerable students, and our teachers and staff need and deserve all of the assistance they can get to optimize their learning environment.
After many years of chronic underfunding of the public education system by the previous Liberal provincial government, I am optimistic about the positive changes and opportunities that lie ahead for our district and public education as a whole. To that end, I will continue to advocate for stable and sufficient funding of our public school system by the provincial government.
Choose experience—choose John Bennie for SD70 trustee. Thanks for your support!