Locke Spencer wants to get people engaged in education matters
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman on October 6, 2021.
Public school trustee candidate Locke Spencer wants to bring his academic and administrative work to the school board.Spencer has been involved in parent council, division council, with the society of Nicholas Sheran School to help with fundraising and some of the parent-driven initiatives and is also a chair of the board that does the regional science fair and science Olympics.
He is an associate professor and Canada research chair for the physics and astronomy department of the University of Lethbridge.
“We are publicly funded, and we have a role and a responsibility within society to make sure people know what we do and to bring our expertise to the community.
“So, I bring that perspective, some of the academic and administrative work and some of the work that I do with Canadian Space Agency to the school board to offer my perspective on things and hopefully that can help things to be the best they can,” said Spencer.
Spencer would like to achieve a few things within the board if elected, but he will focus on openness, transparency and consultation.
“I think we have a lot of minds in the community and it’s good to consult all of the stakeholders and make sure that is done in a way that what is brought back can be implemented and adjusted, and make sure is the best for everybody,” added Spencer.
He believes that quick decisions made behind closed doors don’t always get the best results. Therefore, he would like to make sure that people are engaged, involved and aware of what is going on. To take the proper time needed to do that as policies are being set and as things need to change in a growing city.
“Our needs are growing, different areas are growing faster than others and I think it’s important that the public is aware of what is going on so they can be part of it,” added Spencer.
Spencer is a father of six children. Five of them are currently enrolled in the public-school division and his youngest will be starting kindergarten next year.
With two children in middle school and three children in elementary, he has been involved with the school system for a while.
His children attend three different schools and are immersed in two different language streams, English and French. 2
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