His work in the classroom may be done, but David Bouchard is keen on continuing to work to preserve Catholic education in Central Alberta.
Bouchard spent 20 years teaching in the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division, before retiring in 2008. He ran successfully for the school board in 2010, and has put his name forward again this year in search of another term.
While he said one of the board’s main targets — a new high school for Red Deer — has not yet been realized, over the last three years he said the board has brought all parties in the system together through improved communication.
The division has created one-and-a-half staff positions to increase communication between stakeholders, he said.
“Communication is something that we’ve worked on over the last couple of years. ... I think that’s made a difference in that people feel like they are aware of what’s going on and they can make better choices as a result. I do believe that’s some of the reason why our (enrolment) numbers are increasing,” said Bouchard.
The division established four priority areas — literacy, inclusion, faith and technology — during the board’s last term and Bouchard said he would like to see a continued focus on those areas over the next four-year term.
He said the Catholic board has been particularly progressive in terms of inclusive education — ensuring that every child gets an education in the same learning environment.
“We are actually quite proud of the work that we’ve done in inclusion. The one thing that the new School Act has really enforced is the idea that every child is going to get an education anywhere, anytime. And so we have been working on that one; we’re just a little ahead of other school districts with what we’ve done.”
Bouchard, 60, has four adult children and six grandchildren, two of whom are now going through the local Catholic system.
Bouchard helped to set up and is the president of the Magdalene House Society, which aims to assist people who are trafficked.
Also running for the Catholic board are Murray Hollman, Adriana LaGrange, Cory Litzenberger, Guy Pelletier, Brandie Towers and Anne Marie Watson.
mfish@www.reddeeradvocate.com