Questions on Supporting Parents, Choice, and Student Achievement

Recognizing parents as their children’s primary educators and the ultimate decision-makers regarding their children’s education.

I believe parents have the primary responsibility for raising their children and should have a strong voice in their education. Schools and parents should work together through open communication and mutual respect.

I brought forward a motion to require parental consent before schools could use a name or pronoun for a child 12 or under that differed from the information provided by their parents when registering the student. Unfortunately, the motion did not pass. You can read more about it here: https://www.mikerauch.ca/post/mike-rauch-says-parental-consent-should-be-required-when-kids-under-12-want-to-change-name-or-pronou

Protecting parents’ freedom to homeschool or enroll their children in independent schools.

I support educational choice and believe families should have options in how their children are educated. I believe having different options raises standards for everyone and gives families more choice in finding the right fit for their children.

Independent schools provide a valuable service to BC taxpayers by covering their own capital costs and a significant share of their operating costs. This helps reduce the financial burden on government while giving families more educational options. Discussion about education funding and property-tax allocation would need to be made at the provincial level.

Strengthening foundational academic skills in schools.

Literacy and numeracy must be priorities. Students need strong reading, writing, and math skills to succeed in life. In my last four years on the board, I have pushed to make the academic skills a priority. We need to use student achievement data to identify gaps, measure progress, and make sure resources are helping students learn. We must also support teachers and give them the tools they need to help students succeed. I also have concern that honours programs have been eliminated or not supported fully at some schools. I am a mechanical engineer, I value high standards, and want to make sure our educaiton system supports every child to reach their maximum potential.