Longtime Sea to Sky School Board trustees Laura Godfrey and Chris Vernon-Jarvis will not be running again this fall.
The announcement was made during the June 13 meeting, the last gathering of the board before its summer break.
Godfrey has represented Electoral Area D for 10 years, winning every time via acclamation due to a lack of rival candidates.
Vernon-Jarvis has been around for 13 years representing Whistler.
Godfrey told The Chief in an interview her decision was made because she's been living in the Qualicum Beach area for about a year.
Despite having been living in a different area, Godfrey said she's continued serving on the Sea to Sky board because she didn't want to waste taxpayer dollars on a byelection.
Since moving to Qualicum, she has been ferrying out to the school board office in Squamish for its committee and regular board meetings every month.
Her departure from the Sea to Sky school board, however, will not be the end of her time in politics.
She said that she's considering running as a trustee for the Qualicum School District.
Godfrey said her experience at the Sea to Sky board will lend itself well to Qualicum, as they share a number of similar features.
The two regions have schools spread out over a large area, have relatively small populations and both have strong Indigenous populations they draw from.
As for her time at the Sea to Sky School District, she said some of the highlights of her time as a trustee include the reorganization of Don Ross Middle School and the hiring of Supt. Lisa McCullough.
The school reorganization saw Grade 10 students moved from Don Ross to Howe Sound Secondary.
Regarding McCullough's hiring in 2011, it was a decision Godfrey said was made to place an emphasis on student-directed learning as opposed to traditional classroom approaches.
Being part of the board as the early French Immersion and the Cultural Journeys programs were implemented are also proud moments for her, Godfrey said.
Cultural Journeys encourages elementary students to incorporate Indigenous perspectives in their learning.
A standout moment for Godfrey was at an opening ceremony during that program's first year.
"It was really hard not to be emotional through the whole thing," she said. "I think as a board we sort of crossed our fingers and really hoped that the people of the Squamish community would consider and see the importance."
Seeing how people from all walks of life reacted to the program made a strong impression on her, she said.
"We really believed in that," she said.
Finally, as Godfrey departs, she's hoping that someone with a similar background can fill her spot.
She said she never went to university, but just wanted the best for her kids. She volunteered first at the PAC and then rose up that way.
"I'd like another mom or dad to think, ‘Maybe I can do the same thing,' and to not be intimidated," Godfrey said.
Vernon-Jarvis was contacted to comment for this article but did not respond before press deadline.
