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Qualicum district school trustees keepig mum about their election intentions

Only one trustee has confirmed he will seek re-election on Nov. 15

While many of the incumbent politicians in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area (mayors, councillors and RDN directors) have declared their intentions for the Nov. 15 election, the District 69 school board is still up in the air.

Of the five current trustees only Barry Kurland has confirmed his intentions to The NEWS.

"Yes, I plan to run because I feel like the board needs continuity at this point," he said, admitting he thought about it long and hard.

Asked if the ongoing labour and school reconfiguration issues played a roll in his decision, he said that as a former teacher he knows they are "always working in interesting times. Education is never just hearts and flowers, and if you look at others around the world, this is a global phenomenon, public education is a big commitment."

He said that despite the current situation he still enjoys working with his colleagues in the district.

Board chair Lynnette Kershaw said she is still thinking about it and will declare her intentions soon.

Eve Flynn, Julie Austin and Ross Milligan could not be reached for comment.

The nomination period to run for the board of education opens Sept. 9 and closes Oct. 10. Information and the required paperwork are available at the school board office in Parksville.

To be eligible a candidate must be 18 or over, a Canadian citizen and resident of B.C. for more than six months. There are no restrictions on where they live in the province.

Candidates cannot be a board employee or disqualified by any other school act or law from running for office.

While the candidates can run anywhere, come the Nov. 15 election, the candidates are elected for specific geographic areas around School District 69. Two are elected for Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Lasqueti combined and the other three roughly correspond to the regional district areas E (Nanoose), F (Errington) and H (Bowser).

This year, like municipal councils, the term will be extended from three to four years.