School trustee Gerald Watson ‘wasn’t expecting it to be fun’

COFFEE WITH THE ARMCHAIR MAYOR — I’ve believed for a long time that Gerald Watson is one of the most effective, reasoned school trustees to come along in a long time. The only downside is that he’s not on City council, where he would be a terrific addition.

Unfortunately, he’s not planning to run for council. Instead, he’ll run for school board and be easily re-elected. The board’s gain is the City’s loss but school districts need good trustees so I guess it works out.

I sat down with Trustee Watson for my weekly Coffee With the Armchair Mayor, which was broadcast this morning on CBC Daybreak Kamloops. Naturally, we talked about the prospects of closing Stuart Wood elementary school, which will go to a public hearing March 27 at the Henry Grube Centre.

Watson acknowledged the board isn’t going to win any popularity contests with Stuart Wood parents and kids. “I’m not anticipating the public is going to like it,” he admitted. When he ran for the board, he said, “I really wasn’t expecting it to be fun.”

But he said the benefit to students will be a bigger site, and since much of the Stuart Wood population is on the other side of Columbia Street, there will be less travel. There’s also a wheelchair accessibility issue at Stuart Wood.

I went to a school that was much like Stuart Wood, though the architecture was different. I remember peeing  my pants from fear on the first day, being sent to stand in the cloak room for talking out of turn, and being taunted in the schoolyard with names like “Rottenhamburger.” I hated that place.

But the kids at Stuart Wood love their old school. Out in the yard at recess they’re anxious to tell you about its proud history, how much they love the old classrooms and, of course, their teachers. That’s worth keeping, I suggested.

Watson didn’t disagree. “As a taxpayer I like the fact it’s an open functioning school,” he said. “I think it adds to the character of Kamloops.” But there’s the thing about scarce money.

Doesn’t the school system have a responsibility that goes beyond the financial efficiencies of shuffling children and schools around, I asked. Doesn’t it have a duty to contribute to the protection of the livability of our downtown core?

“I don’t know of anybody who became a school trustee because they want to rip the heart out of a given community,” said Watson, referring to the kind of reaction the board got on a reconfiguration a couple of years ago.

And the public meeting on March 27?

“The school board is not a rubber stamp for the preliminary recommendations of school administration.”

If Stuart Wood is closed, it will be a tragedy. It’s of some reassurance, however, that trustees like Gerald Watson know and understand the importance of the decision they face.