After serving as the Martensville Trustee on the Prairie Spirit Board of Education for the past 11 years, Bonnie Hope decided that she would not be seeking re-election this year; however, as the deadline for second call for nominations was nearing and no one had come forward, Hope was asked to reconsider her decision.
“A strong and experienced voice is important for our community, and so I am in the race again,” Hope stated in a social media post. Following the November 9th election, it was confirmed that Hope was elected and would be serving her fourth term. “Thank you Martensville for entrusting me with the responsibility of being your public school board representative for another four years. I am so grateful for all of your support,” Hope said following the announcement of the results.
Heading into the election, Hope had a number of goals and objectives that she would be working towards if re-elected, which included continued work to ensure the safety of all students and staff throughout the COVID pandemic. Hope also noted that she will be continuing to be a strong voice for Martensville on the Board of Education while respecting all schools and community needs in the Division.
Throughout her previous terms, Hope was able to see the addition of Lake Vista Public School to the community, as well as the renovation and addition at Martensville High School. With Martensville continuing to grow, Hope is prepared to work towards the needs within the community. “I believe we will continue to see the population of our community grow, and with the expansion planned for the west side of Highway 12, it will be important to work closely with our municipal partners at the City of Martensville and our provincial partners at the Ministry of Education in planning how to best manage this growth for families with children in schools and create the best opportunities to address the educational needs of all Martensville children.”
Another goal that Hope acknowledged was funding within the school division, as Prairie Spirit School Division is the fourth largest in the province. “In 2015 the Province implemented a new funding distribution model which disadvantaged Prairie Spirit in a number of ways. As it had always done, the Board of Education strongly advocated to the government, outlining the impacts this has had on our Division. The Board of Education continues to be a strong voice at the provincial level. As the representative for the community of Martensville, it would be my goal to continue to be a strong voice for our community and our school division at the provincial level.”
