Prince George, B.C. – While he hasn’t slammed the door on the idea, the chair of the Prince George School Board has expressed his sharpest criticisms yet on developing a ward system for the district.

The idea was raised during last year’s local election campaign and again recently by Mackenzie Mayor Pat Crook as a way to better represent rural concerns.

Prince George School Board Chair Tony Cable – photo 250News

“The frustrating thing is I think this board has done more work and more thinking about rural education than a lot of boards in the past,” says Tony Cable.

“And it’s definitely a focus of ours. We have done trips out to the Robson Valley and Mackenzie, they are definitely on our radar.”

Along with launching a rural edcuation committee, Cable notes three trustees have either lived in Mackenie or McBride while another currently lives in a rural part of the district.

“I’m not sure if you had board members from the Robson Valley or Mackenzie, how much more they could do because if you’re from Mackenzie or McBride you’re still responsible for making decisions for the whole district and you can’t just focus on one little area and let the rest of the district sort of slide.”

All that being said, he notes a final decision on whether or not to adopt a ward system is still “a couple of years down the road.”

“It’s an interesting concept, it’s nothing we will rush into but I think the rural areas are getting pretty good representation at this point.”