Bonnie McBride 2024 BC Conf of PAC Campaign

A huge thank you to everyone that supported my campaign for the BCCPAC Board. I was the successful Candidate for President!

My hope is to approach a term as BCCPAC President with a focus on four pillars of service;

4) Community Building

• Develop procedures so the work of the BCCPAC is tested by a matrix that considers the commitment all community leaders should consider with regards to UNDRIP, The Truth and Reconciliation Report, The Canadian Charter, and the UNCRPD, and the UNCRC.
• Continue to support our education partners in inclusive practices in classroom, communities, and Districts.

My hope is to approach a term as BCCPAC President with a focus on four pillars of service;

3) Member Engagement

• Improve communication between the Board and membership through increased online presence, open meetings, and proactive sharing of information from the Board.
• Support consistency in District and PAC/DPAC relations across the province through standard practices, the addition of parent communication and consultation in Trustee and Staff Code of Conduct procedures and modelling best practices.
• Support the development of safety practices with parents and public for the protection of parent volunteers at all levels in Education work.

My hope is to approach a term as BCCPAC President with a focus on four pillars of service;

2) Capacity Building

• Explore and advocate for a reassessment and increase of gaming grants for DPAC and PAC organizations across the province.
• Explore and advocate for a reassessment of the Ministry investment in BCCPAC with the goal of building capacity for parent advocacy in each District.
• Continue to develop relationships with non-member PAC’s across the Province to grow our collective voice and strength.
• Develop tolls and supports for District volunteers so we can achieve more at the District level by working smarter, building on successes from other areas, and support even more students to reach their potential

My hope is to approach a term as BCCPAC President with a focus on four pillars of service;

1) Partnership Building

• A commitment to focus on growing the profile of BCCPAC and strengthening the parent voice through alignment of priorities with partner organizations.
• Finding commonalities within our strategic priorities with other Provincial education organizations and working together to advance those priorities with the Ministry.
• Develop strong policies on core topics important to education, parent voice, inclusion, and child-led learning environments to support the growth of investment in Education in BC.

A little about me and my journey as a PAC parent and public school partner...

I am a Mom to five! One has already graduated and one is registering for kindergarten this week and the rest are in the middle of their school journey.

My children all came to their school experience with different goals and personalities and needs. Those individual journeys have given me many opportunities to see what is possible for students when everyone works together, and, how we can help shape and support our public school system to make it inclusive and successful for more youth.

I have served on a PAC since we fundraised for live-dino field trips. Just kidding. I just feel that old. I have served on PAC and DPAC in SD 73 since 2006. I also served on the BCCPAC Inclusive Education sub-committee last year.

Outside of my PAC role in schools I am also an inclusion advocate for families across the Province. My work with Inspire Kids FASD Family Support Society has given me the opportunity to support caregivers and students in many Districts through their school journey.

I believe we need to meet each child where they are at, allow them to define their own successes, and give them opportunities to shine, to share, and to grow in the way that works best for them. It's possible. I know we can do it.

Over the coming weeks I will share the pillars of the work I hope to do through BCCPAC to ensure our Province and our partners create the most well-resourced, inclusive and robust public education system in Canada!

I can't wait to share it with you!

I am excited to take this opportunity to announce that I am putting my name forward for the BCCPAC (British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils) Presidency this year.

BCCPAC supports the parent voice in public education at the Provincial level. Our public education system, from early education to post-secondary transition, needs to work for each student, not all students. And, if we are going to get there as a Province, it's going to take some work from all of us.

We need a strong parent voice representing all types of families, all types of learners, and all types of communities across the Province.
We need to advocate for resources, investments, and partnerships across Ministries and with National and Municipal partners.

We need to welcome each child that walks into a school as they are, celebrate them for their gifts, and learn with them on their journey.

The challenges facing our public education system in BC are having a moment. There's a lot of interest in over-enrollment concerns, capital investment, inclusive education, school safety, and learning outcomes.

Some people feel like caregivers don't have a voice in that.

But, in BC, we do. We have for a long time. Parent Advisory Councils, District PAC, and BCCPAC can play a big part in shaping the culture and goals of an education community.

We need to amplify the family and the caregiver voice as we shape the future of learning for our kids. We need to push for better investment, more innovative ideas, more individualized solutions for each community.

More focus on our most important resource in BC, our children.

I'm excited! Let's get to work, shall we?