Skip to content

McMann runs again for school board in Campbell River

Incumbent has served three terms as a trustee
13576392_web1_180919-CRM-Joyce-McMann
Incumbent Joyce McMann is running again for the board of education. File photo

Three-term school trustee Joyce McMann has announced she will run for a fourth term on the board of education in School District No. 72.

“I was drawn to pursue a role in our school district from many years, over 45 years, of working with families and young children as an early childhood educator,” she says. “My own school life was spent in our schools and my two children attended and graduated from them. I have watched many, many children grow out of my early years programs to continue on in their exploration of the world of learning at school. I have been very interested in the experiences they would and have encountered there.”

McMann says she believes in the importance of the public school system in creating a positive future everyone and is aware of the responsibility trustees have for the trust of families to protect the quality of our system while remaining vigilant in examining and exploring it for improvement. The challenge, she says, is to strive for excellence while using taxpayer’s dollars wisely and prudently.

“I am proud of the financial record of our district through some difficult circumstances. Our financial practices have allowed us a stability not enjoyed by all other districts. We have used our budgets to focus on the outcomes we envision for students. Dollars must support student achievement.”

McMann is also proud of the district’s attention to the goals and actions needed to achieve success for all learners. Acknowledging the weaknesses that have existed for Indigenous learners and their families, she says, is the beginning of a journey that must lead us to a much stronger future. Through the guidance of the district’s Indigenous Education Advisory Committee she feels they have embarked on that journey. The board has also affirmed its goals for respect and inclusion of human diversity, recognizing these are critical to creating learning environments where all can thrive.

“Education is about striving and thriving,” she adds.

McMann says she is reassured by the quality of teaching and support staff and the culture they create for environments necessary to work together for student success, adding she hopes to be part of the team working with a new superintendent and all stakeholders to create a fresh strategic plan that will frame how the district continues to enhance the lives of local children over the next four years.

She points to her interest and involvement in the community over the past decades as signs she has an understanding of the assets, opportunities, challenges and culture of our community: being a founding member of the Friends of the Tidemark for five years; sitting on the city’s Community Advisory Commission for five years; helping to establish a Healthy Communities Council; participating on the early C.R. Emergency Social Services Team for a number of years; volunteering at the Museum at Campbell River; working closely at present with the City of Campbell River’s Recreation Department; and being employed by the Family Services Society as Family Place coordinator.

“I work closely with the early years community in a number of roles and sit at the Early Years Council Table striving to understand and develop collaborative strategies to ensure children and families thrive in our community,” she says.

“I was involved in the creation and adoption of the City’s Children’s Charter and I am working with Indigenous people learning more about how we can insure that we meet our goals for implementing the Recommendations of Truth and Reconciliation. I think my community engagement has given me a strong foundation to contribute to our board of education.”