ELECT Roman Nurpeissov for the office of School Trustee
School District 45 (West Vancouver Schools)
APRIL 5, 2025
WHY ROMAN? - A Parent, a Leader, a Problem-Solver
1. STRONGER PARENTAL REPRESENTATION
Ensure parents have a meaningful voice in school decisions, shaping policies that reflect family and community needs
2. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Strengthen Science and Math standards to prepare students for future success
3. ENHANCED SCHOOL FACILITIES
Support essential renovations and expansions for safer, more engaging learning spaces
ABOUT ROMAN - Experienced Lawyer & Educator
Roman Nurpeissov is a lawyer with 20 years of experience gained at international and Canadian law firms, accounting firms and in higher education, where he served as a part-time Assistant Professor of Law. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan and a Master of Laws from Vanderbilt University.
ROMAN'S MESSAGE: Dedicated to Education, Committed to You
Dear West Vancouver Neighbour,
I am running for School Trustee to strengthen our public education system and ensure every student receives the best education possible. Our schools face students' declining PISA Math scores, aging facilities, and challenges in attracting and retaining top educators - issues we must address now.
As a parent with two children in West Vancouver's public schools and a former DPAC Representative, I understand these challenges firsthand. With 20 years of experience as a lawyer and educator, I will advocate for academic excellence, upgraded facilities and policies that put students first.
ROMAN'S ANSWERS TO POSITIVE VOICES' QUESTIONS
1. Why did you decide to seek this position?
I am a parent with two children in West Vancouver’s public schools. I am running to add a strong parental voice to the board. Three of the four incumbents on the board do not have kids in our schools and one of my competitors in this by-election does not have kids in our schools either. Meanwhile, school children, via their parents, are key beneficiaries of our public education system. Therefore, concerns of parents from our community, their views and suggestions with regard to schooling of their children should be adequately represented on the board.
Some parents in our community feel that they either have not been adequately informed or have been ignored by our school administrators. I want to restore two-way communication between the parents and the school district. I will demand transparency and clarity with regard to the processes of the board’s decision-making, and I will clearly relate such processes to the parents to restore their trust. As a parent with a vested interest in the success of our public schools, I am well positioned to be the right liaison between the parents, and the district’s school administration.
2. How have you prepared yourself for this important role?
I am a lawyer admitted to law practice in three countries with 20 years of experience gained at international and Canadian law firms, accounting firms and multinational corporations. For five years, I was a part-time Assistant Professor of Law at a respected overseas law school where I consistently received high scores on students’ evaluation feedback. Since enrolling my children in West Vancouver public schools, I have been a PAC member (DPAC representative) of one public elementary school.
My legal education (J.D. and LL.M. degrees) from two top U.S. law schools, and professional background has prepared me to handle diverse and complex tasks, including those pertaining to the role of a school trustee: policy shaping, budgeting, oversight of annual and strategic plans’ implementation, reviewing employment contracts, as well as negotiating and hearing parents’ and students’ appeals. In short, I am qualified for the role of our district’s school trustee.
3. What does "excellence" in public education means to you?
To me, “excellence” in the context of public education means academic excellence. Scholastic achievement, thorough understanding of disciplines taught, and ability to apply the gained knowledge and skills in real life should be the key focus of instruction in public schools. After all, schools’ primary mandate has always been academic. Solid academic foundation of our children, is a sine qua non of their future scholastic success and scientific research in colleges and universities.
That said, by academic excellence I do not mean a mere process of memorizing lessons and regurgitating the material on exams. Public schools need to raise students with strong logical and analytical reasoning skills, students capable of independent and creative thinking.
Lastly, schools must not indoctrinate students into any political agenda, religious beliefs or trendy social movements. Schools are primary temples of knowledge in which young kids must receive solid education in science and arts - without any political tilt or bias.
4. How would you define the role of school trustee? What should trustees do and not do?
The Trustee’s primary role is to direct Superintendent in performance of his duties (s. 22 of the School Act) and manage schools and property (s. 74 of the School Act), among many other duties and functions. For instance, the Board of Trustees set the district’s policies and its strategic plan, oversee the district’s finances and its operating budget, employ the district’s staff, including the Superintendent, and hear appeals from parents and students. The Board of Trustees delegate day-to-day management to the Superintendent who is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the improvement of student achievement in the district.
Analogizing to a corporate setting, the Superintendent acts as the CEO while the Trustees act as the Board of Directors that hires the Superintendent and oversees his performance. The students and parents are the ultimate beneficiaries, i.e., act as corporate stakeholders.
5. As a trustee, you would become an advocate for public education. How best to accomplish this?
I strongly believe that I will be an effective advocate for public education because I am a careful listener, a convincing speaker, and a community leader with sound judgment. I am not weak or timid nor am I afraid to speak up my mind. I value transparency and welcome open discussion and debate. I have the courage to admit that our public education system has a number of pressing issues: declining PISA scores, budgetary constraints, aging facilities, difficulties with attracting and retaining best talent, to name a few. I am willing to devote my time and energy to try to find workable solutions to these issues, and will be ready to advocate for our district’s interests and needs at the provincial level, if required.
ROMAN'S ANSWERS TO DPAC'S QUESTIONS
Can you name a specific example of a challenge facing WVS & how you would approach it as a Trustee?
Insufficient funding:
Funding is tied to the number of enrolled students, which now stands at around 7,400 students. Our district receives roughly $9,000 per student. This makes roughly $66.6 million annually, of which roughly 89% go to cover wages and salaries, which leaves only about 11% on any programs, including academies.
Potential solutions:
1. Increase the number of students - specifically foreign students in our district’s secondary schools. This is because our schools receive roughly $18,000 in annual tuition fees from every foreign student. To achieve this goal, the district needs to strengthen its marketing efforts with educational agents overseas. Our district’s top secondary schools are well positioned to be marketed to foreign students as a stepping stone to Canadian and the U.S. universities and colleges.
2. Increase the percentage of how much is allocated back to the district from the property taxes, including additional school tax (0.3% above $3 mln, and 0.4% above $4 mln) that the province collects. We are a district with high property tax revenues. In fact, we are a donor district for the province. I am willing to work with the BC government to convince them to change the system (i.e., all collected revenues remain in the district or at least a portion of collected revenues stays in the district to fund our schools).
3. Encourage schools’ revenue generation efforts via fundraising events, e.g., gala dinners, culture feasts, movie nights, bingo nights, etc. to attain self-sufficiency and increase schools’ operating budgets, in order to increase percentage of provincial money that can be allocated to expansion of existing programs (trades & academies) and establishment of new programs.
What do you believe is the most important factor in ensuring student success in our district?
Teachers’ acumen and enthusiasm as well as students’ motivation to learn. For that we need top educators who will engage and inspire students’ curiosity, creativity and diligence.
Attracting and retaining top talent, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to do due to:
(1) the rising cost of living in our district; and
(2) administrative hurdles that make it cumbersome for foreign-qualified teachers to get certified in BC.
Teachers’ salaries range from roughly $59K to $71K, which is barely enough to maintain a comfortable life in our district. The district misses out on the wealth of experience that some foreign-trained teachers could have brought had our certification process been more streamlined, especially when it comes to science disciplines.
What is your understanding of the role of Trustee?
The Trustee’s primary role is to direct Superintendent in performance of his duties (s. 22 of the School Act) and manage schools and property (s. 74 of the School Act), among many other duties and functions. The Board of Trustees delegate day-to-day management to the Superintendent who is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the improvement of student achievement in the district.
Analogizing to a corporate setting, the Superintendent acts as the CEO while the Trustees act as the Board of Directors that hires the Superintendent and oversees his performance. The parents and students are the ultimate beneficiaries, i.e., act as corporate shareholders.
What do you believe is the most important priority in the Board’s strategic plan?
I would pick Educational Excellence as the most important priority in the Board’s strategic plan. Academic performance of students is key and foundational to the schools’ primary mandate of teaching our students and honing their skills.
How have you been previously engaged with the school district?
I was a member of Irwin Park Elementary’s PAC in 2023-2024; attended DPAC meetings as Irwin Park’s Rep.
Can you explain how the district’s budget is developed?
Approximately every February-March, the CFO gives estimation budget for that school year. Ideally the estimate should be close to the actual figure. The Ministry then provides funding based upon that estimate (roughly $9K per each student enrolled). In January of next year the budget is adjusted to bring it closer to the actual budget.
How would you propose improving school facilities within the current funding model?
I addressed the issue of finding additional funding to improve school facilities in my answer to the first question.
How would you balance the diverse parental opinions yet ensuring WVS policies support all students?
I will directly engage with parents whom I see on an everyday basis. I will carefully listen to all parental opinions, voice their concerns during board meetings, and explain the district’s policies to parents. I will aim to increase transparency of the internal decision-making processes for parents. I will work on increasing parental engagement in schools’ initiatives. I will be a proponent of an open dialogue between parents and schools for the common goal of improving our education system.
I will handle diverse opinions diplomatically and cordially. I won’t label people or dismiss their opinions if they are different from mine. I am a proponent of open discussions - even on hotly contested issues. I am a firm believer in the freedom of expression, i.e., I believe that anyone is entitled to openly express their opinions even if some may find such opinions scandalous or insulting. In other words, I do not run away from difficult conversations, I welcome them.
I will advocate for non-discriminatory and non-preferential treatment of all students with zero tolerance for any physical or emotional bullying. I will ensure that every child’s needs and concerns are adequately addressed, and that every child feels safe and comfortable while in school. I will work on creating favourable conditions for every student to thrive intellectually, physically and emotionally.