Four candidates are seeking two Port Moody school board seats

There is a fifty-fifty chance in this election. Four candidates are running for two school board seats in Port Moody. Port Coquitlam voters will elect two trustees to the nine-member board. Coquitlam voters will elect four trustees, Port Coquitlam voters will elect two, and voters in Anmore and Belcarra will elect one.

Emily Cheadle, a paralegal with labour relations experience, is campaigning to bring her contract knowledge to the Coquitlam School Board. A parent and frequent volunteer, she has five main priorities, including protecting arts and humanities programmes. On her campaign website, Cheadle said creativity, judgement and human expression matter even more as artificial intelligence changes how students learn and work. She also wants classroom space planned to keep pace with housing construction. As fundraising chair for the Pleasantside PAC, she supports age-appropriate resources inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), along with clear anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies.

Frequent volunteer Tracy Green says a key part of education is ensuring educators have the resources they need. Teachers, support staff and families already know what works in the classroom, she said; they need a board that listens, plans carefully and directs resources where they matter most. Green’s priorities include expanding career and trades programmes and protecting alternative programmes. She said Port Moody families value choice programmes such as French Immersion, Montessori and International Baccalaureate, and she would work with the board to protect existing options and expand access. On school capacity, she pledged to build strong relationships with the city, developers and the province so new neighbourhoods include shared amenities for neighbours and families.

Jessica Morrison, a mother of two, is running partly because she believes the school district does not receive a fair share of tax dollars. She said she would fight for Port Moody’s fair share and scrutinize every budget line because the money belongs to taxpayers. Morrison, who has worked for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation, also called for better planning. She said portables should be a last resort, not the plan. Her platform calls for greater community involvement. Consultation, she said, must reach families in plain language before a decision, while their input can still change the outcome.

Carola Thompson, a CEO and mother of two, is also seeking a school board seat. She previously worked as CEO and senior planner at CityState Consulting Group and is campaigning to advocate for student and staff resources. Her campaign website lists supporting student wellbeing and belonging, strengthening connections between schools and their communities, and responsible financial management as priorities. A release announcing her candidacy said her experience working with municipalities as an urban planner gives her a unique perspective on long-term planning, collaboration and community building. Thompson said that, as a trustee, she would help the district plan proactively for future enrolment, demographic change and emerging opportunities.