Image: Supplied by Dr. D. Furgason / Dr. Darrell Furgason plans to seek a second term on the Chilliwack school board this fall.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

School board

Chilliwack school board trustee calls out majority for excessive political activism, neglect of student achievement

Jul 26, 2022 | 5:12 PM

CHILLIWACK — A Chilliwack school board trustee announced his candidacy for the fall election with a bang on Sunday, calling out the current board majority for its focus on what he calls political activism.

Dr. Darrell Furgason revealed Sunday that he intends to run for a second term on the Chilliwack School District Board of Education this fall. Voting day is October 15. Furgason was first elected in 2018 with 7,130 votes, a sixth-place finish out of 17 candidates.

Dr. Furgason says he plans to campaign on a platform of supporting academic excellence and parental rights, encouraging critical thinking, and promoting a philosophy of safe schools where all students should be protected. He said interpersonal dynamics on the school board played a role in his decision to run again.

“I am planning to run again in the coming October 2022 school board election as I do not feel I have finished the task of re-focusing education in Chilliwack on the academic and intellectual development of children,” Dr. Furgason said in a statement. “Too much time has been spent by the past Board majority (Willow Reichelt, Dr. Carin Bondar, David Swankey, and Jared Mumford) focusing on political activism, trying to silence the voices and ideas of conservative trustees through investigators and sanctions, a lawsuit, and by promoting a left-wing ideological agenda.”

Learning outcomes and academic performance will remain a primary focus of his campaign this fall, he says.

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“I am running again with the goal of promoting student achievement,” Dr. Furgason said. “That is all. I believe that is what Trustees are elected to do, and that is what parents in Chilliwack should expect from a School Board Trustee.”

Dr. Bondar, who plans to run this fall, disagreed with the assessment from her board colleague.

Image: Supplied by Dr. C. Bondar / Dr. Carin Bondar plans to seek re-election this fall on the Chilliwack school board.

“I strongly urge people to watch our previous meetings (available on the District 33 website) and they can determine for themselves whether Furgason’s actions align with his stated goal of ‘promoting student achievement.’ In my opinion, they do not,” Dr. Bondar said.

Dr. Bondar won an early 2021 by-election with 5,455 votes, topping Chilliwack business owner Richard Procee, who finished with 4,786 votes. In announcing her re-election campaign on Facebook, Dr. Bondar relished her role thus far on the board.

“Hey Chilliwack!” she wrote on Facebook. “I’m so excited to announce that I will run for re-election this fall. I absolutely love being a school trustee and am honoured to have the opportunity to serve the diverse, growing population of students in district #33. Getting to know the members of our various school-district teams has been wonderful so far, and I hope to continue this work in the next term. Much more information about my campaign pillars will be coming your way in September. Have a wonderful summer everyone!”

Since she first announced her candidacy for the by-election, Bondar has stressed the need for inclusivity, diversity and science literacy in Chilliwack education, according to her Facebook profile.