Long-time school trustee Lori Pratt was elected last week as the new Board of Education chair for School District No. 46 (SD46). She replaces trustee Betty Baxter, who had served in the position for four years.
Also at the Dec. 13 board meeting, trustee Pammila Ruth was elected vice-chair and BC School Trustee Association (BCSTA) representative, while trustee Dave Mewhort was elected BC Public School Employers’ Association representative.
In an interview with Coast Reporter, Pratt expressed “huge thanks and huge gratitude” to Baxter. “I’m up to the challenge, but there’s big shoes to fill. I’m hoping to provide the same leadership with integrity that she provided.”
As the new chair, Pratt said her specific goals include “continuing to build on our current community partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Rotary and explore other partnerships to further enhance student learning.”
Partnerships in the government sphere are also important, she said. “I think we can still do more work with our local, provincial, federal and First Nations governments to collaborate on common visions. Strong, connected communities that care and work together help to guarantee our next generation’s success.”
One example, she said, would be collaborating to help address the chronic child-care shortage on the Coast.
Pratt said she will continue the board’s tradition of advocating for SD46 at the provincial level “for resources and strong policies” that are in the best interest of the school district’s students and staff.
After nine years as trustee, Pratt noted that leadership within a large organization such as SD46 “is mostly about providing strategic direction and then standing out of the way to let people do the work they’re passionate about.”
SD46, she said, “is doing quite well, and I am excited to be in this new role within the governance team.”
Pratt served as vice-chair for five years (2010-11, 2013-17), as policy committee chair and operations committee chair and in many other board roles. On the BCSTA she has been provincial councillor and president of the South Coast Branch and sat on the conflict of interest and bursary awards committees.
A resident of Secret Cove, Pratt grew up in Rocky Mountain House, Alta., and moved to the Sunshine Coast in 1994. She has three daughters and was a stay-at-home mom for many years and an active member of parent advisory councils at Madeira Park Elementary and Pender Harbour Secondary. She was first elected as school trustee for Rural Area 1 in 2008 and was acclaimed in 2011 and 2014. She is a realtor with Royal LePage Sussex.
“I have a real passion for leadership and for kids,” she said. “Even in my own family, my daughters are very active and are leaders in their own right.”
