After representing Martensville for three terms on the Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) Board of Trustees, Bonnie Hope is stepping away from the position.
“I’ve decided to not run again in the upcoming school board election,” said Hope in an interview on Tuesday, September 22. “It’s time for me to move on and let some fresh eyes come on the board.”
Elections for public school and Catholic school division trustees are slated to coincide with the municipal elections on November 9.
Hope was first elected to the PSSD Board in 2009, the year Martensville graduated from town to city status.
Over the past decade, the community has seen a significant increase in student enrollment numbers.
“We’ve had some big highlights in the last few years,” said Hope. “We’ve also seen the opening of a new public school in Lake Vista, and the redevelopment and expansion of the Martensville High School. Both those new facilities have made a big difference in the community.”
Hope said the joint-use agreement between the PSSD and the City of Martensville was one of the keys to facilitating the construction of the city-owned Martensville Athletic Pavilion and tying it in to the high school.
Hope said serving on the PSSD board has been a learning experience full of challenges and rewards.
“It’s bee my honour to serve my community and to give something back,” said Hope. “I would say the COVID-19 pandemic we’re currently dealing with definitely ranks right up there as one of the hardest challenges the school division has had to face.
“I’ve worked in the health care admininstration field for thirty years, and in public health for five of those years, so I understand how significant public health protection measures are.”
Hope was first elected to her local school community council in 2005-06, shortly after the school division restructured.
“We had lived in Martensville for a couple years by then,” said Hope. “And I felt it was my responsibility as a mom to become involved.
“Later, when I was elected to the PSSD Board, I became the ‘mom’ for all these other kids in the community as well.”
Hope said the school division is fortunate in having a stable, professional administrative team and a passionate and dedicated board of elected trustees.