Name: Stan Petersen
Party affiliation (if any):
Education: BSc, MEd, EdD
Occupation: Retired
Previous political experience:Incumbent school trustee (one term)
Residency (city/neighbourhood): Nootka Close, Abbotsford
Community involvement:Vice President of Abbotsford Youth Commission, member Clearbrook Kiwanis, Chair of Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Chair of Hands Up for the Community a local organization that raises funds for local agencies, Committee member of the Abbotsford City Police Basketball Tournament, Chair of the AbbyFest organizing committee, Parks, Recreation, and Culture Commissioner, Board member for the Reach, Board member of Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association, Board member of Character Abbotsford.
Marital status/children:Happily married with three grown children.
Email:stanfortrustee@gmail.com
Social media:Website: stanpetersen.ca
facebook.com/stanpetersenabbotsford
What do you feel are two key education-related issues Abbotsford voters should be considering when choosing trustee representatives in this civic election?
Why, and what would you do to address these issues?
Abbotsford is a great school district. We have strong leadership and excellent teachers and support staff. We have great support from parents and our community. Our students excel in their classrooms and in the many opportunities provided in our district.
Our challenge is to find more ways to support the growing diversity in our classrooms. We need to add more classroom resources and we need to support our teachers to address this diversity. We need to continue to partner with community agencies in supporting all of our students. We need to continue with our early childhood education agenda so that all students have a strong start to their educational experience. We need to create an individualized education for every student so that each can find his or her passion and success.
Our challenge is also to continue to improve communication with all our educational stakeholders. Our teachers, support staff, parents, and our community need to feel confident in the direction of the board and have input in setting this direction. Teamwork and collaboration are essential.
I believe that I have the experience and passion to address these challenges and make our great school district even better. I look for your support on November 15th.