The role of a School Board Trustee in Ontario focuses on four major areas;
1.) Strategic planning and system goals that focus on student achievement and well-being.
2.) Budget oversight and monitoring, under the Provincial funding framework.
3.) Evaluate and supervise the senior administration officials in the board
4.) Finally, acting as a point-of-contact between parents, local taxpayers, and the School Board the Trustee is elected to, ensuring that communication flows between all parties.
The actual goals of the public education system is laid out in the introduction to the Ontario Education Act:
0.1 (1) A strong public education system is the foundation of a prosperous, caring and civil society.
2009, c. 25, s. 1.
(2) The purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to realize their potential and develop into highly skilled, knowledgeable, caring citizens who contribute to their society.
2009, c. 25, s. 1.
Lighting: Bright, natural light helps students stay awake and focused.
Air and Temperature: Clean air and a comfortable room temperature prevent tiredness.
Noise Control: Quiet spaces help students hear the teacher and concentrate.
Seating: Comfortable and flexible desks allow students to move and work easily.
Trust: Students need to feel safe, and secure from bullying or judgment, so they can focus on their learning.
Mistakes: A good space lets students try hard things, and then make mistakes without fear.
Inclusion: Every student must feel valued for who they are.
Clear Rules: Simple, fair rules show everyone what is expected from each individual.
Respect: Teachers and students treat each other with respect.
Collaboration: Group activities help students learn to share and work together.
Materials: Good books, tools, and technology make lessons clear, and teach about referencing and use of sources.
Access: Every student must have the same chance to use learning tools made available to students, the exception being when an educational or personal challenge requires a student to have individualized tools (e.g. descriptive audio sources for students with vision challenges.)
"The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows" - Sydney J. Harris
"Education is education, and it's the right of every human being." - Malala Yousafzai
I was nearly 40 years old when I realized an important fact: of all the elected offices in this country, it's the school board trustees who can really make an impact on a person's comfort and success in life.
These aren't glamorous positions. They bring with them no personal power; you end up as only a single vote on a board with many other people. But the power of that board to create an environment that is good for students is beyond measure.
The board doesn't decide exactly what will be taught; the province does that through its listed curriculum. Changing that would require a Member of Provincial Parliament, and it would happen in Toronto at Queen's Park.
But how the schools are run, how the money from the province is broken down to different areas of need within the schools, who gets hired into top positions locally, and finally, how your concerns about these things get addressed—THAT'S what the trustees are elected to do.
I am running for this position because I don't see the needs of the children being addressed right now. I see the safety, the security, and the stability of our schools—all critical areas for our kids to feel safe, welcome, and able to learn—being threatened by people who want to use our schools as a place for their proxy wars against government.
I get it; I'm not happy with everything these days, either. People are struggling. This is a real and honest fact.
But to throw these battles into our schools does nothing to help our students. It also does nothing to advance these agendas. All it does is create press for their causes and political power for people who don't care about the kids. Instead, they care about issues for some other election, where their concerns can actually be addressed.
This, to me, is the worst, most destructive thing you can do to these kids, and through them, to our future.
I vow that, if elected, I will pursue one goal: to make schools a stable and safe environment for all our children so they can learn, study, and grow together. And if we do our job well, when the time comes for them to engage in the wider world, they will be educated and equipped to do so successfully and without fear.
Thank you.
