Hanover trustee candidate running on respect, students first

A Hanover school board candidate is running for trustee after being angered over the current board’s recent policies and motions.

“For some time, I’ve been very unhappy with what I’ve seen coming out of the (current) Hanover School Division board. There’s been too much of a focus put on, for lack of better words, culture wars and a lack of focus on putting our students first,” said candidate Jeremy Neufeld.

One action that he would like to take, should he be elected, is a review of policies that this board and previous boards have passed with a perspective of putting students first.

“All students, not just certain students, not just the ones that we agree with or who look like us or who think like us. Part of being a school trustee, part of being any public official, means representing everybody and being a voice for the voiceless,” he said.

Neufeld has a 10-year-old hearing impaired daughter who goes to Stonybrook Middle School and uses an audio device in her classroom. “We need to look at how do we find equity so that the unique needs of students can be met (in) the best possible way so that fewer and fewer kids are going to fall through the cracks.”

The native Steinbach resident made his decision to run after the current board passed the mature minor motion to create a policy that would delegitimize the mature minor designation in schools. It also directed parental involvement in all their children’s health care matters, thereby eliminating patient confidentiality with a medical practitioner.

“When I first heard about that policy, I was angered. When I heard that the province was ordering the division to rescind it, I was very pleased,” said Neufeld, noting that while he feels parents should have a voice as to what is happening with their child, not every child comes from a loving, supportive home.

“I would like to know that my daughter, if she’s uncomfortable for whatever reason to talk to me about something, that there are responsible adults she can go to. That there are additional safety nets. There’s so much truth to the saying, it takes a village to raise a child.”

Another change to policy that this board has made and Neufeld wants changed regards the trustees being involved in the hiring of music and gym teachers with the superintendent. Previously, an assistant superintendent and a principal were involved in the hiring process of all teachers. He feels the hiring should be reverted back to superintendents and the principals.

“If they’re not doing a good job, they should be held accountable for that. But the micromanagement of the board makes it, when they get so focused on the operational side of things, it’s impossible for the board to be effective at the governance side,” he said.

Neufeld also believes Policy JJ-Student activism, which received first reading, should be rescinded as soon as possible as existing legislation already provides adequate guardrails for student activism.

Regarding the responsible use of school resources policy, Neufeld believes it should be carried out cautiously and very selectively and parents should have the choice to opt their children out of lessons that they deem sensitive. And while the purpose and definitions in the policy are generally clear, there is still a degree of subjectivity in how the policy may be interpreted and applied, said Neufeld.

He believes books, for instance, should be age appropriate and while some of the topics in them might be uncomfortable for some, providing children with resources to understand the realities of life is important.

“I do not believe that objections from a minority of parents should automatically result in the removal of educational materials that educators and the broader school community consider appropriate for student learning,” he wrote in a follow-up email.

He believes the role of a trustee is solely governance, meaning policy, long-term planning, and budgets.

Neufeld has spoken to people who work in the division at various levels and he reports that the atmosphere is “quite toxic.”

“If we want our students to do well, the whole division needs to function in a healthy manner…the board has been so focused on operational issues. The board needs to get back into a world of focusing on governance, and proper governance, with a perspective of students have to be first. A culture of respect needs to be rebuilt because from all accounts that has been lost,” he said, adding administrators and staff need to know that “the board has their back.”

Neufeld has been working for the RM of Hanover for 23 years and is its planning and IT manager (he also has his own IT business). As a planner, Neufeld sees the growth that is happening in Hanover firsthand. He said the division needs to plan for the future by building relationships with municipalities and the province in order to plan for the building or expansion of schools and for funding.

“Right now, that relationship is not a healthy one,” he said, adding Hanover should stand out for its accomplishments and not for “controversial noise.”

He believes the relationship between the board and school staff can be repaired if everyone is willing, but it will take time and effort.

As to why people should vote for him, Neufeld said he has a vested interest in the well-being of schools as he has a child that is a student in Hanover, he has built a relationship with the province, he brings a unique perspective with a fresh outlook, he values a culture of success and respect, and he wants to put students first.

“And for those who value those same things, I would ask for their support and hope that they would support me on Oct. 28,” he said.