Lifetime Chilliwack resident, parent, and school volunteer, Jared Mumford is running for school board and issued a statement about his campaign this week.
Mumford is serving his second term as executive member-at-large of School District 33’s District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) and is on his second term as chair of Cheam elementary’s PAC.
He was born and raised in Chilliwack, attended public school in Sardis in the 1980s and 1990s and has two sons in public school.
“It’s time to take what I’ve learned from students, parents, teachers and administrative staff from this, and nearby districts, and put that knowledge to work for our students in a more direct and impactful way.”
Mumford has a particular interest in the over-capacity status of many schools in the district, an interest that stems from his first-hand knowledge at Cheam which sits at approximately 230 per cent of the capacity with seven portables.
“We saw massive over-crowding in Surrey years ago. While attending advocacy workshops there, we learned that not only were there too many portables, but many portables were in disrepair and most lacked running water. We also learned that maintaining and moving portables were coming from the District’s operating budget, costing millions each year and forcing cuts in other areas like support staff, supplies and busing.”
He pointed out that there are more than 90 portables in the district.
Mumford is one of seven candidates on the ballot who received an endorsement from the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association (CTA), the union representing teachers in the district.
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“The endorsement by the CTA is of particular importance to me,” he said. “I’ve advocated publicly for parents and students for a long time, but any work I’ve done with the CTA is largely in the background. I strongly believe that parents and teachers are the two biggest stakeholders in our children’s education, and that any member of the Board of Education should have a positive, working and most importantly, respectful relationship with both. Anything less is a disservice to our constituents.”
Jared Mumford’s full statement on his campaign for the Chilliwack school board
DPAC Executive and long-time volunteer endorsed by Chilliwack Teacher’s Association
Jared MUMFORD has entered his name as a candidate in the 2018 race for Chilliwack Trustee.
Jared was born and raised in Chilliwack, attended public school in Sardis in the 80’s and 90’s, and now has two sons attending public school in Chilliwack. He has an extensive volunteer history within the school district over the past 5 years.
He currently holds a seat on BCCPAC’s Internet Safety Committee, is serving his second term as Executive Member-at-Large of SD33’s District Parent Advisory Council, and is also serving his second term as Chair at Cheam Elementary PAC. He has taken a temporary leave from his executive positions during the 2018 campaign period.
“It’s time to take what I’ve learned from students, parents, teachers and administrative staff from this, and nearby districts, and put that knowledge to work for our students in a more direct and impactful way.”
Jared spends about half of his volunteer time in schools and half advocating at the District and Provincial level. In 2017, he helped draft a BCCPAC Resolution advocating to the Ministry of Education to clarify in the definition of temporary structures, raise facilities baselines to include running water in all portables, and to provide special or capital grants for the maintenance and movement of portables.
“We saw massive over-crowding in Surrey years ago. While attending advocacy workshops there, we learned that not only were there too many portables, but many portables were in disrepair and most lacked running water. We also learned that maintaining and moving portables were coming from the District’s operating budget, costing millions each year and forcing cuts in other areas like support staff, supplies and bussing.”
Many schools in Chilliwack are over operating capacity, with residential development continuing to increase. There are over 90 portables in the District, most taking up valuable playground / sports field space and many without running water.
“A main portion of our advocacy was focused on reviewing the Provincial funding model in an effort to have it revised so that it meets the unique needs of each community, particularly the unique growth we are seeing in Chilliwack. That review is now taking place, and I feel the next step for me is to join that process through the BCSTA and as a member of the board.”
Jared is an advocate for arts, but intentionally left the Arts off his platform.
“A lot of artists in the community have asked me why a strengthening of the arts in school is not part of my platform. My answer is: I wish it could be. I am a huge proponent of arts in public schools. But right now there are students with special learning needs who have no supports, vulnerable students with no supports. Some students wait a whole year to get support, and others attend school only a few hours a day due to lack of proper support. This, along with overcrowding, are issues that need to be addressed immediately. Once all students receive proper supports, I’ll be excited to bring Arts back into the public-school conversation again.
Jared Mumford is endorsed by the Chilliwack Teachers Association
“The endorsement by the CTA is of particular importance to me. I’ve advocated publicly for parents and students for a long time, but any work I’ve done with the CTA is largely in the background. I strongly believe that parents and teachers are the two biggest stakeholders in our children’s education, and that any member of the Board of Education should have a positive, working and most importantly, respectful relationship with both. Anything less is a disservice to our constituents.”
Recently Jared worked alongside the CTA, the School District, CUPE and other stakeholders on behalf of DPAC in creating SD33’s public facing documentation on Safe & Caring Schools and Inclusion. Those documents are available on the SD33 website in the Erase Bullying section.
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@PeeJayAitch
paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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