What staggers me about democracy is the people we put in places of power. Corruption, injustice, and stupidity come to mind. But to be fair, there are many women and men that do not follow this pattern. Still, I feel it is my duty to run for school trustee. And nobody shall say that I didn’t try.

The Ministry of Education provides the framework within which school trustees act. Consequently, school trustees have very little power. That said, there are a few areas where they can make a difference in a school district (1). Here is my platform ...

1: Merit-based hiring

The goal for any organisation is to hire the best people for the job. In the public sector, people must not be handed positions but must compete for them. Looking at my 25 years of experience within the public sector, this is often not the case (2). I have seen crooks and clowns hired, and I have seen people with integrity and competence ignored. As a school trustee, I will make sure that proper hiring procedures are followed.

2: Confronting A.I.

(To be sure, the abilities of A.I. systems are remarkable. In the late 1990s, I worked for two years in A.I., a time when we still called them Artificial Neural Networks. Who would have thought then that simple arithmetic operations repetitively applied to vast amounts of stolen information would one day become the nightmare of every schoolteacher and university lecturer.)

Whether we like it or not, A.I. is invading our private lives and our workplaces. As a school trustee, I will lead the development of sensible goals and policies regarding use and disuse of A.I. by teachers, students, and employees. Nobody must get credit for A.I.-generated work. We don’t give credit for work done by somebody else, why would A.I.-use be any different?

Besides, as an educational institution, a school district must not ignore but confront the psychological, educational, social, ethical, economic, and environmental problems that A.I. is creating. We don’t want to see another social media debacle.

3: Sensible spending and transparent decision making

The Board of Education for School District 43 nominally oversees a budget of $515 million (3). Over 85% of this is salaries and benefits. Other budget items are not choices (e.g. insurance, supplies, utilities). Realistically speaking, the Board controls very little. Still, as a school trustee, my voice will always be for sensible spending and transparent decision making.

4: Free postsecondary education and training

I come from a country where postsecondary education and training is free. There is great value in this, for the individual, for society, and for the economy. Universities, colleges, and technical institutes should be free but hard. As a school trustee, I will advocate and campaign for free postsecondary education and training for all British Columbians at all ages. I have worked in the postsecondary sector all my life. If I thought it couldn’t be done, I wouldn’t advocate for it.

I am an introvert, and consequently, it is not easy for me to ask for your support, but here it goes:

If my platform strikes you as a sensible approach for School District 43, vote for me on 17 Oct 2026. Cheers, Michael Baumann

Of course, there is much more to be said about any of the topics above. But this must do for now. Should you have any questions, please use the comment section below.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

(1) https://bcsta.org/wp-content/uploads/THE-ROLE-OF-BOARDS-AND-TRUSTEES-IN-BC-Digital.pdf (Accessed: 5 Aug 2026).

(2) E.g. https://thereluctantzoologist.substack.com/p/the-battle-of-the-halfwits-part-3, https://thereluctantzoologist.substack.com/p/open-letter-to-the-president-of-the, https://thereluctantzoologist.substack.com/p/university-of-the-fraser-valley-michaels, https://thereluctantzoologist.substack.com/p/fisheries-science-the-tragedy-of (All accessed: 5 Aug 2026).

(3) https://media.sd43.bc.ca/media/Default/medialib/2025-2026-amended-annual-budget.86292e12525.pdf (Accessed: 5 Aug 2026).

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