My name is Jalen Bachra and I'm running for school trustee in the Feb. 3 by-election. Here's where I stand on the top issues that matter most to our community.

Enrolment growth and school capacity crisis

This is the Number 1 issue I’m hearing on the doorstep. Families want to know there is space for their children at their neighbourhood school when they need it. Rapid enrolment growth and density in New West is making this very challenging. This is not an issue that can be put on the back-burner – it is absolutely critical. The board has done a good job getting approvals from the Province of BC for new and expanded schools, and I am committed to keeping the pressure on.

Count on me to:

• Keep the focus on the new and expanded schools our families need
• Encourage creative, urban options for new schools

Student mental health

I know first hand how youth today are facing more stress and challenges than previous generations. I’ve seen how hard the pandemic was on students. Students and parents say they want easier and faster access to mental health support. I’ve also heard that stigma keeps some students from telling someone when they are having a hard time. The Wellness Centre that opened at the high school is a really innovative model to bring in community resources, reduce stigma and encourage students to connect with help. However, we know it’s still too hard for a student to see a counsellor when they need it. We need province-wide solutions so that children and youth can count on support when they put up their hand for help, and we need to reduce stigma with education and awareness.

Count on me to:

• Encourage staff to protect spaces where students can access help, and make it easier to contact and schedule counselling
• Advocate for provincial solutions for child and youth mental health
• Support education and awareness to tackle stigma

Childcare for working families

We’ve heard parents loud and clear: childcare is extremely important for working families. I have worked with children and families across New Westminster, and I know what a difference great, inclusive programming can make for a child. The district has done an incredible job adding 200 childcare spaces in schools since 2018, and the City is also expanding spaces, but we can and should do more. I will push for more use of multi-purpose rooms and classroom spaces to increase before and after-school childcare spaces. We should also look at how these childcare spaces can be staffed by education assistants, who don’t yet get the full-time hours most of them need.

Count on me to:

• Support expanding childcare for working families, particularly school-age care using existing space available before and after the school day
• Protect existing Infant, Toddler and Preschool childcare in schools
• Advocate for increased hours for EAs through district child care

SOGI and inclusion

I’m 100% in support of SOGI, and it’s very important to speak up about this, because SOGI is under attack right now. SOGI is a set of resources that equip teachers to address age-appropriate topics on sexual orientation and gender identity. We need to make sure every student feels safe, accepted and connected at school. SOGI helps create a community of inclusivity for queer and trans youth within our schools. I will continue efforts to ensure all children in our schools feel safe and included.

There is also a lot of misinformation about SOGI, and some people would take advantage of parents’ worries to create fear. I would like to look at district-wide information sessions about SOGI at the beginning of each school year to address this.

Count on me to:

• Advocate for human rights of all students & families, including LGBTQ2S+ folks
• Support the expansion of SOGI resources through dedicated funds and staff
• Support LGBTQ2S+ students to feel safe and included at school
• Encourage information-sharing with families to answer questions and dispel fear and misinformation

School culture, behaviour and safety

I hear from students who feel very safe at school, but also some who feel uncomfortable in middle and high school and see problem behaviour happening. The recent Student Voice survey was encouraging, but it identified areas of concern we need to focus on. Specifically, students told us that LGBTQ2S+ students don’t feel safe at school and raised some specific issues about vehicle traffic. The Board, senior admin and school staff need to listen closely to students, and do more consultation here to understand which students are impacted, in what ways. To create safety we also need to address incidents of discrimination and bullying that impact some students more than others. The board’s inclusive education plan, anti-racism action plan and SOGI supports are all part of this – that work needs to continue. As a founding member of Student Voice, I really believe student consultation is where we need to focus here.

Count on me to:

• Start by consulting more with students, who have the day-to-day experience
• Listen to understand which students are most impacted and ensure demographic data is gathered
• Address incidents of discrimination and bullying with strong procedures and training
• Direct staff to prioritize and report on action to improve school culture and behaviour in middle and high schools

Supporting students with diverse needs

Having worked as an inclusion support worker I believe deeply in inclusion for every child. Students need IEPs that are clear, relevant and they need to be in place earlier. I’ve heard about good progress made through the District’s Inclusive Education Review. I like the concept of universal supports that are available to all students. We also need specialized services and training. I will keep speaking up for resources and advocacy in this area.

Count on me to:

• Work for early access to learning assessment
• Speak up for universal resources that reduce stigma and improve the classroom for every learner
• Support specialized staff, training and more Pro-D opportunities

Truth & Reconciliation and Indigenous student success

When I was first involved in student advocacy, this is an area where students wanted to learn more. Like many Canadians, I want to see true and meaningful action taken for truth & reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The district has done some remarkable work here. When they renamed Richard McBride to Skwo:wech Elementary it was one of the first times a BC school district took this on in the spirit of reconciliation. The work to honour and respect burials under the former NWSS site is also a really interesting reconciliation project I’m looking forward to learning more about. The Anti-Racism action plan has a lot of important pieces about incident reporting, staff training and accountability. Schools need to be safe, comfortable spaces for Indigenous students and their families. A recent dip in Indigenous student results is very concerning. After year-over-year improvements to get to 93% grad completion by Indigenous students, 2022 and 2023 saw a drop. We need to figure out what has slipped and put in more supports. I’d like to see more partnerships with Spirit of the Children Society, Musqueam, Kwantlen and Qayqayt First Nations. It would be great to have more Elders in schools and get students more exposure to Indigenous experiences and field trips.

There are changes from the Province in Indigenous education councils that I want to understand. I have more to learn in this area but I am committed to listening and developing respectful relations.

Count on me to:

• Pay close attention to Indigenous student achievement results, in partnership with families
• Be accountable for how we spend funding intended for Indigenous students
• Support partnerships with Indigenous Nations and organizations
• Push for more student exposure to Indigenous experience and field trips

Safe ways to school

I spent countless hours commuting to NWSS from Queensborough and understand from first hand experience how important safe, reliable options are to our students. I am committed to championing transportation reliability and safety, including TransLink capacity, walking school bus programs and traffic calming measures.

Count on me to:

• Work to expand the number of walking school buses in our city
• Encourage our city partners to increase traffic calming measures and enforcement so kids are safe walking to school
• Amplify students and families calling for increased TransLink service
• Advocate to the province to make the Queensborough school bus a permanent service

Thank you all for your support! It's been a pleasure hearing from you on the doorstep, and I would be honoured to be your trustee on Feb. 3.