Neil Turner for Township Trustee

Because I see how much the school years matter after graduation. Every September, students arrive in my classroom at Trinity Western, including graduates of Langley schools. I see the knowledge, confidence and habits they bring, and where they need more support as they take their next steps.

I’ve called this community home for more than forty-five years. I want to help plan for its future, support the people working in our schools, and make decisions that serve students well beyond the next budget or election. The children starting kindergarten today will live with those decisions for years.

This has been home for more than forty-five years. I graduated from Langley Secondary, earned my undergraduate degree at Trinity Western University, and have taught there for close to thirty years. My three children grew up here, and my six grandchildren are growing up here now.

Many people know me from a field or a gym, as a parent, a fan or a coach. I’ve spent plenty of time on local sidelines, in weather nobody should be outside in.

When we talk about schools, fields and neighbourhoods, we’re talking about places and people I care about deeply.

My priorities follow the five pillars of our Langley Strong platform:

• Strong Students. Strengthen learning, belonging and mental health support. Keep improving graduation rates and removing barriers, with particular attention to Indigenous students and students with diverse abilities.
• Strong Staff. Attract and retain great people, listen to those working closest with students, and make sure staff have safe workplaces, meaningful support and the resources they need to help every child succeed.
• Strong Schools & Spaces. Keep approved school projects moving, advocate for the additional spaces our growing district needs, and care for the schools we already have.
• Strong Community. Strengthen partnerships with the Township, the City and community organizations. Plan schools alongside neighbourhoods and give families a meaningful voice in decisions.
• Strong & Sustainable Funding. Use public dollars carefully and transparently while pushing for reliable provincial funding that reflects our growth and students’ needs. Families and staff should help shape budget priorities.

Close to thirty years in university teaching, forty years in coaching, and experience helping other educators and coaches improve their practice.

I earned my BA in physical education at Trinity Western University and my Master of Science in performance analysis at Middlesex University in the UK. I teach human kinetics at Trinity Western.

In sport, I’ve served as technical director of the Ridge Meadows Soccer Club and worked as a coach developer, facilitator and evaluator for BC Soccer and the national program. Those roles have taught me to set clear expectations, listen carefully, assess progress and help people succeed.

A close view of the transition after high school. I work with students as they learn to manage their time, study independently, handle setbacks and work alongside people with different experiences.

University is one of many paths students take after graduation. My experience gives me a useful perspective on that path, and I want to hear from employers, trades programs, other educators and young people themselves about theirs. Together, those perspectives can help us understand how well our schools prepare students for what comes next.

Coaching starts with understanding the people in front of you. They arrive with different abilities, different levels of confidence and different reasons for being there. The job is to help each of them develop.

That experience has taught me to look beyond the most visible successes and notice who needs encouragement, a different approach or more support. I’ll bring that attention to board decisions, asking how our plans serve students with different strengths and needs.

That helping people do their best work takes clear expectations, useful feedback and ongoing support. As a coach developer, facilitator and evaluator, I’ve helped coaches understand standards, reflect on their practice and improve.

Those lessons would inform my work as a trustee. The board sets direction, approves budgets and policies, and holds district leadership accountable for results. I’ll ask whether our decisions give staff the support they need and whether those decisions are making a difference for students.

My studies in performance analysis taught me to ask clear questions, gather evidence carefully and assess whether an approach is working.

I’ll bring those habits to the board table. What are we trying to achieve? What evidence will show progress? What should we change if the results fall short?

I want district reporting to answer those questions in plain language. Numbers matter, and so do the experiences of students, families and staff. We need both to understand how our decisions are working.

I bring decades of experience in education, coaching and helping people improve, along with a long connection to this community. I’m prepared to listen, do the reading, ask careful questions and work with others.

When I ran in 2022, I spoke with parents, teachers and staff about what they needed from their schools. Those conversations remain part of why I’m running today.

I would come to the board ready to contribute my experience and learn from the experience of others.

Closely, and early, with the province involved in funding the schools our community needs.

School sites, housing growth, roads, safe crossings and recreation space need to be considered together. I’ll push for ongoing coordination between the district and local governments, clear enrolment projections, and strong advocacy for timely provincial investment.

We also need to understand the long-term costs of staffing, operating and maintaining new facilities. Children get one chance at their school years. Planning needs to reflect that urgency.

Because we share commitments that matter to me: careful stewardship of public dollars, transparent decisions, long-term planning and a steady focus on student success.

Working with people who share those priorities gives us a foundation for getting things done. I’ll also work constructively with every trustee elected to the board.

I’ll bring my own judgment to every decision: read the material, listen to the people affected, ask questions and vote for what I believe best serves students.

Bring me your concern. I’ll listen, make sure I understand it and help you find the right next step.

As a parent and a coach, I know how much it matters to have someone take a concern seriously. I can’t promise a particular outcome, but I can commit to responding respectfully and explaining what I can do.

Families deserve clear information and meaningful opportunities to contribute. Their involvement should begin while there is still time to shape a decision.

Family first. I’m a dad of three and a papa of six, and a good part of my week gets arranged around whatever the grandchildren are doing.

I’m also usually somewhere near a soccer field, as a coach, a supporter or someone who still enjoys being part of the game. After more than forty-five years here, family, friendships and community sport remain a big part of my life in Langley.

That students are supported and ready for their next steps, staff feel valued, and families understand the decisions being made about their schools.

I want people to be able to point to progress: more classroom space where it’s needed, clear plans for future growth, and honest reporting on what the district has achieved and where more work remains.

I graduated from a Langley school. My children went through them, and my grandchildren are in them now. I want the next generation to have every opportunity to thrive.