Johnson back on school board ballot

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

The biggest unfinished business on Dwight Johnson’s list are the renovation projects at Somerset and St. Mary’s schools.

The Berwick man will reoffer in the October 18 school board elections, in the district representing Berwick, Somerset and east to Coldbrook. He’s been the district school board member for 14 years.

“I’ve enjoyed it. I try and make sure every student is treated the same - class sizes, programs...,” he says. “But we have to realize some arrangements are better than none.”

Many Valley schools have not been able to offer arts, music or the provincially-recommended amount of daily physical activity because of a lack of funding for staff.

“What the board has to do is accommodate what the school wants - the children, the staff, the parents. Then, we’ve made some people happy and we’ve allowed some flexibility.”

He’s not willing to budge, though, on seeing Somerset and St. Mary’s renovation projects through to their end. Both schools’ new gyms are done, but there are further phase renovations on the books.

“It’s going to happen, but it needs experienced school board support.”

He’s also concerned for the future of small schools in communities, as enrollments will decrease continuously over the next number of years. Transportation and building issues will come to the front with the price of fuel, and the provincial government “needs and will have to provide the money,” he says.