School trustee Richard Franklin has declared his candidacy for a second term on the board of education.
A retired teacher and recipient of Canada’s Distinguished Principal of the Year Award, Franklin says he brings consistency, responsibility, and thoughtful decision making to the position.
“School District No. 72 (Campbell River) is a district where the board of education has worked hard to develop a long term plan for maximizing efficient and effective schools and programs. We have strongly advocated for all of our students. Our kids are amazing, and most of our graduates are going on to post secondary educations. The school district consistently posts better than average results for the province and our graduates are going on to excel in careers and in life.”
A recent evaluation of the board of education’s effectiveness found that the current board is very high functioning. “These are times of change, yet there are opportunities to take this district to a higher level of achievement,” he said.
As a trustee, Franklin said, ‘There were some rough times and hard decisions made over the past four years. I am proud to say that when the times were tough, I voted for what I felt was best for kids. I always fully explain my decisions, and consistently vote to improve educational opportunities for all children in our district.”
“Much of my focus has been working with our board policies, to bring these into the 21st century, and to ensure that our district is governed in a professional manner. I am especially proud of the work I did with the Indigenous Education Advisory Council to develop a powerful policy to support our Indigenous students.”
Franklin says this board recognizes the inherent dignity and rights of all members of the human family and values the diversity of its community of students, staff and the larger community it serves. In particular, he says this will be an important election and a time for our community to support trustees supporting the acceptance of diversity.
“Young people are our future,” he adds. “I work as a school trustee to govern the school district in such a way that educational opportunities are maximized. Our role as trustees is to ensure that the dollars provided to us by the province are spent efficiently and that our district gets great results! Over the past four years, I have worked hard to submit balanced budgets, and I have held the district administration accountable for improving student achievement.”
Franklin also touched on the board’s search for a new superintendent of schools. “While this takes place, we have made decisions that will not only maintain the stability of the district, but also allow the momentum for improvement to continue unimpeded. There is still much more to be done, and this is why I am asking the electorate for one more term. It is a privilege to serve and I ask for the support of parents and all taxpayers in School District No. 72.”