Tell us about yourself and why do you want to be a school board trustee?
Connor Ikoma is a planner for the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and a father of 10-month-old Autumn.
“I want to set things up for her,” Ikoma said, pointing to his daughter who will one day be a student in School District 27.
Ikoma’s partner once worked with the school district, and he also knows many parents with children attending school in SD 27. It’s given him a good insight into the key issues students, parents and staff face, and he wants to help the district move towards better outcomes.
“If you want to make changes you need to be involved,” Ikoma said.
What do you think is the top issue that School District 27 is facing, how do you plan to it, what would you do to increase student achievement and what would you like to see in local in local schools that is not there now?
“It’s not just a single issue,” Ikoma said, but he believes a lot of it boils down to ensuring educators have the support they need to effectively teach their students.
“EAs (education assistants) are not necessarily available in levels that are manageable,” Ikoma said, adding this could be leading to teacher and EA burnout in the district.
He also said bullying and violence are very important issues which need to be addressed, as well as transportation, which has been a significant hurdle for families in parts of the area he would represent as a trustee.
“I understand that change takes time,” Ikoma said, which is a reason why he wants to get involved now, even before his daughter is in school.
As a trustee, Ikoma said he would make sure to listen to the public and make decisions for the benefit of everyone.
Focusing on supporting educators and EAs, he said, would be a priority, because educators cannot help students through other issues if they do not have the resources they need. If an educator is spending all their time managing students, then they can’t do the teaching, Ikoma said.
As a planner with the CRD, Ikoma said he has a good level of understanding of how boards work.
“I’m not going to over promise things, I have an understanding of where their (trustees’) powers lie.”
