An experienced hand has taken the helm at the Burnaby Board of Education.
Trustee Ron Burton, who was elected to his 10th term last month, was sworn in with his fellow trustees at a public ceremony at Burnaby Central Secondary Tuesday and promptly acclaimed chair for the fourth time in his 27 years on the board.
Burton replaces trustee Baljinder Narang, who has held the post for the last two years and who will now serve as the board’s representative at the B.C. School Trustees Association.
During his first address as the new board chair, Burton took aim at Premier Christy Clark for criticizing the parents of Burnaby 11-year-olds Kate Fink-Jensen and Naomi Cech, who crossed a police line during the recent Burnaby Mountain protests against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Clark had said that teaching kids it’s OK to break the law isn’t OK.
Far from criticizing the girls, Burton said they had stood up for their beliefs and that he hoped Burnaby schools had something to do with their choice.
“There’s a time and place for civil disobedience,” he said. “When it furthers and benefits the entire community, that’s the time for you to stand up for your beliefs.”
Without civil disobedience, Burton said, Clark would not be a woman in office and would not even have the vote.
His remarks drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.
“I know the Cechs quite well,” Burton told the NOW after the speech, “and it really threw me that she said that about them in the paper.”
During the meeting, second-term trustee Harman Pandher, who teaches elementary school in Surrey, was acclaimed as vice-chair – his first leadership role on the board.
“It think I’m ready,” he told the NOW. “The first term is a steep learning curve, but I did get my feet wet as the chair of the education committee, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of the next four years.”
Katrina Chen was the lone newcomer to the board, having been elected last month in the place of James Wang, who won a city council seat.
“I’m really thankful to the people who trusted me," she said, "but I feel like it comes with a lot of responsibility that I’ll have to do a good job.”
The first regular public meeting of the new board is on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at the school board office, 5325 Kincaid St.
For more information, visit sd41.bc.ca and click on the board of education tab.
