An Abbotsford school board candidate says she wants to bring “positive change” in education, with a focus on transparency and communication.
Raj Patara has now publicly announced her bid for the Abbotsford School District board of education, pointing to her experience in management roles and work in legislative and constituency offices. She also notes volunteer work with the Abbotsford-Matsqui Rotary Club and time as a director for the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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“These skills will aid her in the role of a trustee to further long term strategic goals for the Abbotsford School District, while focusing on transparency, accountability and communication from board level to the community,” Patara’s announcement reads.
Patara has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, and now says she is taking the step toward education politics after raising her daughter in Abbotsford.
Patara said it is “crucial” that trustees “ensure our children are equipped with the tools for surviving and adapting to the ever-changing, demanding world.”
Working at the B.C. Institute of Technology, a technical college in Burnaby, Patara said she can see the products of the public education system and the impacts of increasingly innovative technology in society.
“Raj is making it her priority to persevere during this election, to further the work and improvement the past board has done for our children thus far,” her candidacy announcement reads. “Change is good; we should not stop here.”