The City of Coquitlam is organizing the School District 43 (SD43) byelection to fill a vacant Coquitlam trustee seat. Voters go to the polls on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 (with advance voting open on Feb. 12 and 15). The Tri-City News asked the five candidates — Rosey Manhas, Candace Knoll, Dana Ebtekar, Nash Milani and Frank Do — to answer 15 questions about their campaign.
What city do you live in?
- I live in the Burquitlam area of Coquitlam.
What do you do for a living?
- I am retired from Telus.
Where do you volunteer in the Tri-Cities?
- I am the founder and president of the Junior Black Achievement Awards Society.
Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what, when and where?
- No, I have not.
What public figures and organizations are endorsing your campaign?
- Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West
- Port Coquitlam Coun. Nancy McCurrach
- Port Moody Coun. Samantha Agtarap
- Former Coquitlam city councillor Neal Nicholson
- CUPE Local 386
- BC Black Educator Leaders Association (BCBELA)
- Neville Thomas, president of the BC Organization of Caribbean Cultural Associations (BCOCCA)
- Mark Williams, president of Pink for Thursday
Have you ever worked for SD43? If so, when and what position?
- No, I have not.
Do you have a relative or former family member that currently works for SD43? Who and what position?
- No, I do not.
Do you currently have children learning in SD43? If so, what schools?
- No, I do not.
Have you ever been a part of a school organization such as a PAC? If so, where and what leadership positions did you have?
- Yes, around 2006-2008 for Harbourview Montessori PAC.
What is your financial background with public institutions?
- I do not have anything to report.
Why are you running to be a Coquitlam school trustee?
- As founder and president of the Jr BAA, established in 2022, I have been working to empower Black youth and their families through training recognition and access to education. The initiative sparked the desire for me to want to make a difference in the lives of every student. I believe that a school system should prioritize the well-being, growth and success of all the people in the district that support the student’s educational journey. Every student deserves access to diverse high-quality education and I am committed to ensuring healthy and supportive systems are in place.
How will you support students?
- Ensure supports are in place to provide for the well-being, growth and success of all students.
- Support diverse learning methods and programs in the district, advocating for programs and initiatives that promote social-emotional learning, including expansion of the Strong Start Program.
- Celebrate diversity through cultural celebrations and education to work toward creating bully-free, safe spaces for all to thrive, including a restorative justice approach in the district to foster a caring, inclusive and socially responsible community.
- Advocate for more mental health and wellness support and counsellors in the school.
- Work with the student leadership committee to ensure the students feel welcomed, engaged and have opportunities to work in collaboration, as well have leadership opportunities.
- Encourage community partnerships, initiatives and external education.
- Support safe after-school activities and programs and initiatives.
How will you support teachers?
- Advocate for respectable compensation packages and support systems.
- Advocate for building new schools and the plans to accommodate for future growth.
- Utilize air space — shortage of land capacity combat overcrowding.
- Hire more teachers, EAs and staff to support diverse high-quality education.
- Support manageable classroom sizes and workloads.
- Create a mandate for stronger mental health and wellness support.
- Encourage more pro-development days for teachers and their educational assistants to keep current, offer flexibility, enhance or add to skill sets and to allow for innovation in lessons.
How will you ensure the board of education chooses the right senior management for new roles?
- Potential candidates could come through the in-house process of promoting from within or through employment agencies to interview with a panel. Things to consider would be their education, history, references, experiences in community and in the school system, management experience, criminal record and background checks would be required.
What is the most pressing issue facing SD43 today?
- The lack of funding from the ministry of education for expenses.
- Inadequate funding from the ministry of education for contractual costs.
- The increased need for portables to accommodate growing population.
- The need to increase supports for mental health and vulnerable students.
- The need to increase support for the students with special needs, ELL and vulnerable learning needs.
- The international student program can anticipate a 10 per cent decrease in enrolment.
- The need to hire more teachers and education assistants and staff.
Contact information:
- Website: candaceknoll.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 604-830-8266
- Facebook page
Read the other candidate Q&As below:
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