About us:
The School Trustee Project was formed in collaboration with the Institute for Public Education and the Columbia Institute, along with both CUPE BC and the BCTF as funders and co-planners. We met as an advisory group on September 19, 2023 and this background is the resulting introduction to the proposal.
The intention of the project is to increase the level of support for elected school trustees across the province who are trying to advance a progressive agenda in their districts and communities. Our intention is to develop an ongoing program of support, curricula, training, research, and network building that would help progressively-minded school board trustees in the implementation of agendas that support K–12 in their districts. The project will provide education and training that enhances trustees’ abilities to govern in a progressive manner and to work with one another across districts to ultimately build a more equitable and just public education system for all.
This project is the result of queries for support from labour-endorsed trustees who attended the
2023 Columbia Institute – High Ground Conference, as well as a number of trustees who attended the BCTF Public Education Conference in May, 2023.
Our key goals:
- Support the school board trustee role to be a strong partner within the democratic governance of public education.
- Build and support a self-sustaining network of school board trustees with shared values.
Our strategy:
- Support local school board trustee advocacy and collective action in service of public education.
- Prepare material to support the role of school board trustee.
Join us!
We are creating a continuous program that offers support, training, research, and network-building to assist forward-thinking School Board Trustees in advancing progressive agendas within their districts.