The next School District 57 Board of Trustees will be without a familiar face for the first time in a decade.
Trish Perrin served on the board for ten years, the longest of any members not returning next term, most recently serving as Vice-Chairperson.
She said her proudest accomplishment is the LGBTQ policy.
“We were one of the first districts that actually adopted a standalone policy that protected the LGBTQ community in our students and also we stood behind any of our employees that were part of that community.”
Perrin first got involved in this line of work when her daughter started school in 2001. She made the decision to ‘retire’ at the beginning of the year out of respect for the position. With another grandchild is due in the next week or so, as well as wanting to spend more time travelling and with family, Perrin said she did not want to return if she was not going to be 100% involved like she was in prior terms.
Something she would like to see in the future that did not come to light during her tenure is giving students a chance to speak during board meetings.
“We have so many things that our students are involved in that are so positive, and they can come back to [the board] and provide feedback. When you have the focus of why [Trustees] are there, it can really set the tone.”
Looking forward to the next board, which will feature five new faces, Perrin says they have one issue to tackle right away.
“Integrating the two trustees, the trustee from Mackenzie and the trustee from the Robson Valley, and making sure they feel part of this board; because if they are coming in through technology, it can happen and it can happen successfully. I think it’s just getting over the initial growing pains of that piece.”
Perrin added she has full confidence in the new board and feels the fresh faces will be a major positive moving forward as it will provide a fresh look at some topics.