Dr. Peter Coleman announced Tuesday he will seek a seat on the Comox Valley School District board of trustees."After a medical discharge from the Royal Canadian Navy, I began a long association with the public education system as a parent (of five), and then school trustee in Surrey, then a largely rural district."I have been a teacher and administrator, first in the public schools and later in the post-secondary sector (BCIT, SFU). My wife and I moved to the Valley after retirement from SFU."My interests in the K-12 system have always centred on the role of parents in the success of their children, and how parents and teachers work together in successful schools."The challenge for us in the Valley is to ensure that our schools continue to serve our students as a gateway to further education, to successful careers, and to fulfilling lives.If elected, I commit myself to:• Listening to parents and other concerned citizens, to educators, and to students, and to bringing their concerns to the board meetings;• Ensuring that our limited budgets are spent efficiently;• Working collegially with other trustees and with district administrators on the school board to make our district as effective as possible in providing the best learning opportunities for students."— Dr. Peter Coleman