Bonda Bitzer is running for school board with TEAM Burnaby:
I am 57 years old and a lifelong Burnaby resident. My son attends Moscrop Secondary.
We have a good public education system. It could be better.
I held senior human resources positions in public education for 20 years. My last position was director, human resources, Burnaby school board. I understand school districts, the challenges and the opportunities.
The current single-slate board of education in Burnaby is closely aligned with the labour movement. The unions work very hard during elections to ensure that Burnaby Citizens Association candidates are elected. I believe that in order to maintain that union support, the first priority in decision making for BCA trustees is protecting union interests. I will work to establish relationships with all constituents and make decisions in an open and transparent manner. First priority will be student need.
Cost-savings can be found in the current $213-million budget. An audit to identify all potential savings should be performed before developing the 2012/13 budget.
It is time to determine if collective agreement provisions written 40 years ago negatively impact student achievement. Twenty-first century needs are creating more diverse learner options that require different processes for assigning and evaluating teachers. While the majority of Burnaby teachers are truly competent professionals, at times there is a disconnect between the teacher's skill set and student needs in a particular assignment. I will work with a university to develop a research-based project to compare student achievement under the current teacher-rights provisions with achievement under new student-need provisions.
