Political divisions on the New Westminster school board seemed to crumble Tuesday night when Trustee Casey Cook was acclaimed vice-chair of the board.
It was a significant move for the once-politically divided board, which also acclaimed Trustee Jonina Campbell chair for the second year in a row.
"We are different in experience, ideas and skills and background, and we will not always agree, but we share a commitment to working respectfully and collaboratively and to moving forward," Campbell told the roughly 30 people who turned up to city hall, including city councillors, friends and family members, to watch school trustees be sworn in at the board’s inaugural meeting.
Last year, Cook was also nominated for vice-chair but lost out to Trustee Michael Ewen. The board then, as it does now, had a labour-endorsed majority, while Cook and his Voice New Westminster counterparts, who don't have union support, were in the minority.
This is the first time a Voice New Westminster candidate has been elected vice-chair of the board. (The Voice political group did not run candidates in this year's election.)
It's a significant turning point for the once-fractured board, Cook told The Record. He praised the influence of superintendent John Gaiptman, who joined the district in February.
"In the last year, this is a very different board," Cook said. "To be really clear, John's been a huge, huge influence ... in terms of opening up views that weren't really there before.
"Before it was always about hoarding information and hoarding power," he added. "When I was in Vancouver, as a staff, we always said to each other we have to get the best information to council so they can make the best decisions, I like to think we are moving in that direction."
Electing a non-labour endorsed vice-chair sends an important message, Cook said. "At least that there is openness and recognition that we need to operate differently, we need to operate in a collaborative fashion and not just talk about it," he said.
Campbell agreed that the board has worked collaboratively over the last year.
"I think there was an acknowledgment that we wanted a team together that represented the whole board," she said. "Casey and I worked very well together, so I'm very happy to see him as our vice chair."
The board chair has a number of issues she wants to tackle this year, including securing funding for the replacement high school, tracking and establishing educational benchmarks and enhancing technology in the school district.
