By Beth Audet
Rhonda Kershaw has been the school trustee for Barriere/Little Fort, including Electoral Area O for seven years.
She is running for her third term unopposed and will, therefore, be elected by acclamation.
Question: What made you want to run for School Board Trustee again?
A: “I feel that I’m still very invested in the school system. I have a daughter in Grade 4 and a daughter in Grade 9.” Kershaw said they’ve made recent changes in Barriere - the Grade 7s moving to the high school - plus they are only in the second year of the strategic plan and there are upcoming contract negotiations. “I wanted to continue on, now that I feel that I’ve got a couple years under my belt. I’m one of the more seasoned trustees now. I just felt I still had more to offer.”
Question: How does it feel to be re-elected by acclamation?
A: “I would prefer to have a true election, to be honest,” she said. “I think that there’s more of a mandate and I think that it heightens the profile of any particular position when there is an election, but unfortunately, I guess nobody wanted this.”
Kershaw added that she’d like to hope people think she’s well in the position and saw no need to run against her, but admitted she worries the lack of candidates speaks more to a sense of apathy.
“I also truly feel when we made the move to a four-year term for local election cycles that it’s a significant commitment.” People can’t always say where they’ll be and what they’ll be doing four years from now, she said.
Question: What are some of the most important issues for the school board in this area?
A: Kershaw summed it up into two issues. Locally, she said getting the Grade 7s settled into the high school is a major priority. District-wide, she said they are working hard to advocate to the province for increased capital funding dollars. “We’ve had very little capital funding come into our district in the last 18 years, and our buildings are becoming aged, aged very badly and we just don’t have enough capital dollars to continue to maintain these buildings the way that they should be.”
Question: What would you like to change?
A: “I think that I’m quite happy with our current direction.” She said there’s a space crunch happening in Kamloops and the district definitely needs capital money from the province. But overall, she wouldn’t change anything about the direction the school board is headed.
Why should people feel good about your re-election?
A: “I try hard to get out into the community and hear concerns if they have them. I hope people feel free to call me when they do. I do get a fair number of calls and I’m in the schools lots, so I do hear them. And I am very invested in our schools. I’ve got my own two daughters in each of our schools.”
How can people get in touch with you if they have questions or concerns?
A: You can reach Kershaw by phone at 250-319-7328 or email rkershaw@sd73.bc.ca.