A retired teacher made a presentation at the Mountainview School Division board of trustees meeting on Monday night, asking trustees to align their priorities more with what the community wants.
Cam Bennett says instead of discussing removing flags and returning God Save the King, trustees should be focusing on other issues, including teacher prep time.
"That was a concern for me for a number of years that I taught. And it still is. I still have a lot of friends and colleagues that are teachers. And they are missing out on their preps because of the (substitute teachers) shortage. That is an item that I think should be of concern to everyone. Teachers that are well prepared for classes and teachers that have time to parents and that type of thing."
He added air quality in all MVSD schools, but especially at the DRCSS, is another topic that should be given more attention by trustees.
Bennett says he is not alone in these concerns.
"I have heard from lots of people and they all said to me "Good for you and thank you for speaking up." I would encourage all people in town if you have a concern, to talk to a trustee and tell them what the community priorities are. They are elected officials and they should be held accountable to the people of the community."
The province announced that MVSD will see a 6.5 per cent increase in money from the province's school operating fund for 2025-26, and Bennett hopes the division will allocate that increased funding to appropriate areas.
