Kamloops school trustee wins seat on provincial association.
Gerald Watson is still studying the premier’s proposed 10-year plan for labour peace with the province’s teachers.
He needs to learn its intricacies not only for his job as a school trustee for Kamloops-Thompson, but for his new position as a member of the board for the B.C. Public School Employees Association (BCPSEA).
Watson said there was a vacancy on the board and, at the association’s annual general meeting on the weekend, he put his name forward.
It’s the first time a Kamloops trustee has been elected to the board.
Noting the history of contract negotiations between the province and its teachers has been contentious at times, Watson said he’s not daunted by the task.
“I’m in politics and community service because I want to help,” he said, “and I think I have the skill set to do this.”
Watson called Premier Christy Clark’s new proposal, which would see teachers given more say in aspects of education and have their salary increases tied to increases in the province’s public sector, a novel approach.
He noted there is a provincial election in May and that reality “certainly shades everything,” but added it is to everyone’s benefit to put forward ideas to find a common ground between the two sides.
The board of 13, which includes four appointees from the provincial government, meets about every six weeks.
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