Retired school teacher Dick Lemke will always view things from the perspective of being an educator.
Although his three children are all grown, some of his six grandchildren are now in school – which he figures is another good reason to keep contributing to the betterment of public education.
Lemke is running for his fourth term as a Red Deer Public School Board trustee in the hope of continuing to promote “diversity and inclusion in our schools.” He feels the Red Deer Public School Division has done well, so far, despite some pressures, to include all students, regardless of race or gender identification.
Lemke, who taught for 25 years at River Glen School, as well as in Spruce View and Innisfail, also feels it’s important to respond to issues that are important to parents, such as keeping school fees as low as possible.
He was pleased to hear the public school division is set to grow by a couple of hundred students, despite the tough economy – which makes him optimistic things are slowly turning around. “Many people are moving into town, so that must mean there are starting to be some jobs in the oilfield.”
The division is opening a new elementary school in south Red Deer this fall, and plans to rebuild Westpark Middle school over the next couple of years. “The first tenders were too expensive, so we’re in the process of retendering it,” said Lemke, who hopes the new school will be ready in 2019.
Further down the road, he believes a brand new middle school will be needed in the Timberlands area to accommodate new residential growth on that side of the city.
The one-time teacher now runs a promotional materials company, but calls education his life-long interest.
“We all have a vested interest in education. If schools aren’t doing well, society isn’t doing well,” said Lemke.
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