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Communication with all stakeholders is very important and nowhere is this more important that among the school district, the school and parents.

Communication within the Surrey School District has had it ups and down over the years.

As a parent, my initial experience with non-communication was about 13 years ago when my daughters were in French Immersion in Grades 2 and 4, at A.H.P. Matthew. The District decided to move the program to Simon Cunningham without any consultation with the parents or students, very important stakeholders in the process.

Eventually, we had a couple of meetings with the district administration but by then, the decision was made; it was a done deal. This happens far too often in Surrey, where the School District consults with parents, but more to tell than to listen. The consultation comes after the decision is made.

However, one result of that non-consultation was the establishment of the District French Advisory Committee, which is still functioning today. It is consists of  the Canadian Parents for French Reps,  District Principal, Trustee Rep, DPAC Rep, French Immersion Helping Teacher, Modern Languages Helping Teacher, Teachers and Principals.

Surrey voters would do well to determine which School Trustee candidates treat communication as a two-way street and which ones use public consultation only to inform parents about decisions which have already been made.

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