Steinbach resident Mark Peters is putting his name on the ballot for Hanover School Division’s Ward 3 in the upcoming municipal election.
Peters works in mechanical engineering technology, “integrating systems from various vendors for an international corporation.” He also has experience working on a board and overseeing the finances of a church.
If elected, he hopes to have policy changes when it comes to public involvement at the division’s public meetings.
“The public is simply not engaged in what's supposed to be a public process because they don't have the opportunity,” Peters said. “They may be talking about something that you feel is important and you might want to comment, but you will not have the opportunity to comment on things that are brought up there that night.”
As a father of children currently in middle and elementary school, Peters commends the hard work and dedication of the division staff and teachers.
“I know my children have had some great teachers and there's some support staff working very hard to support the students that need it,” Peters said. “That's one of the strong points of our division.”
However, he feels that more can be done for students who need extra support.
“I know a number of people who have children in school who have not received the support that they need. They have various ailments or conditions that require very close support and the school system has not been able to provide that, or in some cases, I would say unwilling to provide even when the parents offered to pay for that support,” Peters said. “We need to look at prioritizing that so that we're not letting these children fall behind the rest.”
He believes that it’s time for some “new ideas” and to update practices that “have a long tradition.”
The municipal and school board election is on Wednesday, October 26.