What’s your occupation? (Current and/or past):
Trustee, Teacher, Educator, Facilitator/Trainer of Professional Development
Who inspires you? (Real or fictional)
Past – My grandmother who was fearless; Today – my children and grandchildren, and our West Vancouver School District staff who have been exceptional during these extraordinary times.
Please list any current and/or past committees or organizations you've been a part of in your career.
Finance and Facilities Committee, Audit Committee, BCSTA Metro, BCSTA, ELL Consortium, WV Awards Committee, Tribes TLC, Restorative Justice, Structured Language Education (Orton Gillingham), ACE, BCCPAC, Career Education Society, Burnaby Teachers Association, BC Teachers Federation, Bowen Island PAC, Electronic Arts, Canadian Cancer Society, Harambee Canada, Embrace Rwanda, British Columbia Paraplegic Foundation, BC United Nations Representative for Women Educators International, Sharing Abundance, Greater Vancouver Regional District’s North Shore Youth Justice and Family Court Committee, Violence Against Women in Relationships, “Coinspiracy” and “KindActs”, Youth Engaged in Social Responsibility Forums, WV Library, BCIT, Douglas College, Trinity Western, SFU
What are your school board priorities for the next term?
To continue to:
- drive excellence in education to improve student outcomes and help students realize their potential
- support evolving innovation in programming and technology to meet the needs of the future
- push for increased provincial funding for our school district so we can meet the ever increasing students’ needs, while providing the staff and resources for education excellence
- ensure that our students have the education, skills and resiliency to successfully transition to fulfilling socially responsible post-secondary life paths
- provide safe, caring, and healthy school cultures of inclusion, diversity and equity for both students and staff
What do you think the biggest challenges in education today are, and how will you work to tackle them?
One big challenge is ensuring adequate funding for our schools. For WVSD, unfunded cost increases, inflation, Covid, etc., while having one of the lowest funding allocations in B.C., all combine to increase strain on our budget. As a team, we will continue to spend funds responsibly, and advocate for sufficient funding - with students and staff at the forefront of our decision making.
Another challenge is the rapidity of changes in our world. We will continue to provide our students with the education, knowledge, skills and resiliency to successfully transition from grade 12, to thriving in a rapidly evolving future.
Why do you want to serve as a trustee for the next four years?
We raised our family in Tunstall Bay, and I have lovely memories of my children at BICS, and serving as a PAC parent. As a 30-year educator (Masters Ed. Admin.) and a recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence, I first put my name forward in 2018 because I believed that my diverse experience in education, and my knowledge of both Bowen and West Vancouver, would be of service to the Board. It has been my greatest honour to serve you these last 4 years. I love what I do, and there’s work still to be done.
Contact:
Website: lynneblock.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/LynneBlock4WV
Twitter: twitter.com/lynneblock1
