Announcement 2008

After discussions with my family and lengthy conversations with a wide variety of members of the community, I am excited to announce that I will be seeking a 4th term on the Langley Board of Education and standing for election in the Township of Langley.  I have served as the Boards Vice-Chair for the past 6 years.

Since first being elected in 1999, I have been committed to ensuring that Langley provides the best educational opportunities for all its students and that the District is managed in a fiscally responsible manner.   Since 1999, the District has changed dramatically.  We have seen a sharp decline in our student enrollment, we have seen drastic budget cuts, we have seen rapid growth in areas of our community, we have seen the needs of our students become more diverse and we have seen our mandate been changed by the Ministry of Education expanded to include responsibility for early learning and adult literacy.  

In spite of these challenges, the Langley School District has been able to make many important improvements  including, but not limited to:

● providing more trades programs, 

● introducing on-site  alternative programs,

● fulfilling  its promise of delivering a complete K-12 Fundamental program, 

● relocating  and expanding the Langley Education Center, 

● increasing the number of special education support staff,  

● implementing  2 AVID programs, 

● establishing 3 full day Kindergarten programs, 

● expanding literacy intervention programs,  

● and developing  collaboration time into schools annual schedules.  

I have been a strong advocate of all of these enhancements because I believe that I have a responsibility to all the students in Langley and that it is my role to continually work to ensure that we are doing what it necessary and important to ensure success for each child.

Dr. Kevin Elder, Chair of the Langley District Review Team and Superintendent of the Saanich School District could clearly see that Langley is moving forward in the right direction when he stated publicly that “Langley is an outstanding district that has strong leadership and a sense of urgency around improving success for children”,   that ‘there is a clear commitment to making tough decisions in service to children” and that there is “the will and the capacity to build on current successes and move in new directions.”  

I am strongly committed to continuing the work that has been started and continuing to move the Langley School District forward.

My parents  taught me two very important values growing up...if you are going to do something, then do it right...and when you start something, you finish it.  I have tried to live by those principals, and it is for those reasons that I am will be seeking  re-election. Being a Trustee means you need to be willing to be  an educational leader which means you need to  have a vision and be willing to make difficult choices when it is necessary.   I believe very strongly  in the changes that I voted to support over  the past 3 years and I stand by my choices.  Voting in favour of closing 4 elementary schools and reconfiguring HD Stafford and Betty Gilbert into grade 6-8 middle schools and Langley Secondary and Aldergrove Secondary into grade 9-12 high schools were not easy choices to make.  I voted on favour of moving in this direction only after a tremendous amount of careful thought and consideration of all of the alternatives and because of my determination to improve opportunities for all students in the Langley School District, not only in the next year, but for the long term .  

In the next term, I am committed to continuing work hard to ensure that the new directions we are moving in are exemplary and to doing even more to support all our students by :

-          continuing to enhance trade & career programs, 

-       ensuring that alternative pathways are available for those students who  want to access that      option, 

-       working towards implementing a district wide technology plan which will enable us to provide more opportunities for use of technology in our schools, 

-     continuing  to focus resources on strengthening literacy skills both at the primary and intermediate level,  

-          providing as many resources as possible to support students with special needs, including enhancing opportunities for our gifted students

-          expanding the Alternatives to Suspension/Project Resiliency program to include a social responsibility component.

Also in the next term, it will be necessary to make some very important long term and complex decisions around programming for the North Langley community.  I have been a part of a very thorough and successful community consultation around the directions that the District could consider moving in to meet the needs of that rapidly growing and changing community. There are some really exciting possibilities for students and their families in the Willoughby & Walnut Grove communities.   I have the experience, the background and the understanding to be able to consider all the options, and when the time comes make choices that will ensure that the needs of the students in the North Langley area will be met and that programs and opportunities will be in place to ensure their success for years to come.

It would be my honour and privilege to once again serve Langley on its Board of Education.



Alison McVeigh
Vice-Chair
Langley Board of Education