The Inter-Tribal Education Committee (ITEC) is proposing that the Coast Mountains school board increase the number of trustees from seven to nine, with four of those nine representing the area's First Nations so they have proportionate representation in the upcoming election cycle.
ITEC made a public presentation to the Coast Mountains School District 82 Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Sept. 25 to request the changes to the board.
Currently, Terrace and Kitimat have two board seats each, while Stewart/Meziadin, Hazelton and Thornhill have one apiece. There is no Indigenous representation on the board at the moment, and historically, the CMSD82 Board has been made up of non-First Nations people.
"This interferes with First Nations' ability to have a consistent voice about the public education services and developments in our local and collective communities," wrote Steve Roberts, Kitsumkalum Band Manager.
Their proposal would give each of Terrace, Kitimat, Stewart/Meziadin, Hazelton and Thornhill one seat, while the remaining four seats would represent four First Nation predominant electoral areas, which would be Tsimishian (Kitselas and Kitsumkalum), Haisla (Kitamaat), Gitxsan (Gitanmaax), and Wet'suwet'en (Hagwilget).
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These four trustees would be voted on by band members of each of the areas.
"The ITEC have been working on improving the education system for Indigenous children for decades, and on this proposal for over two years with community partners and the Ministry of Education," wrote Roberts.
"The struggle we're seeing is that we're not partners in our children's education," said Marian Kotowich-Laval, Kitsumkalum Indian Band Education Coordinator.
First Nations students make up roughly 47 per cent of the district. Four trustees representing the interests of the First Nations students would provide 46 per cent representation on the board.
"The research is very clear that we are nowhere close to being on par with non-Indigenous students," said Kotowich-Laval.
If this proposal is passed, Kotowich-Laval shared she would feel elated.
"We would actually be able to enact better changes for our children's future," she said.
Proportional representation on the board would allow for Indigenous students to be taught and learn in a way that best suits their ways of life, she said.
"We see life a little different. We know our children and we know our education."
This proposal aligns with the principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, B.C.'s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the new B.C. Education Act Bill 40 Amendment in 2023.
"I think proportionate representation on the board will bind us in a better way, collectively as a society and as a community here within the Coast Mountains School District," said Kotowich-Laval.
