With a little more than three months to go before the civic election, New Westminster Progressive school trustee candidates have made their first platform announcement – if elected, they will create a city and schools advisory committee.
The promise is part of the Progressive’s Our Schools, Our City – Together platform that has yet to be released in its entirety.
The advisory committee would help the school district and City of New Westminster “better coordinate capital projects such as the planning and construction of new schools and community amenities,” notes a press release from the Progressives.
Danielle Connelly, who is running for school board with the Progressives, said an advisory committee will require the district and city work together to plan school and community amenities and would help reduce overlap.
“As a rapidly growing city in a relatively small geographical area with limited space for amenities and green spaces, it’s critically important we make sure our school facilities are able to serve the diverse needs of our community,” Connelly said in the release.
Connelly and her running mates, which include Cyrus Sy and Lisa Falbo, are also promising to look at developer contributions to determine whether those funds could be increased as a way of financing construction of new amenities “like playgrounds and community spaces,” noted the release.
The addition of new portables at Queen Elizabeth Elementary, Ecole Glenbrook Middle School and McBride Elementary is especially concerning for Connelly.
“They are losing basketball courts, soccer pitches and activity space. The city and school board should have been working well in advance to explore ways to replace these valuable amenities,” she said. “With two new schools about to be built in New Westminster, the time is now for us to ensure we make our new schools multi-functional to meet the growing needs for child care, community groups, arts, culture and sports.”
