Good evening, Mr.
Moderator, fellow candidates, and community members.
Thank you to the
St. Paul and District Chamber of Commerce for giving trustee candidates time to
speak this evening, and thank you to those who arrived early to listen.
Some of you might be
wondering what a school trustee does. As a member of a board, we set policy,
approve a budget, and evaluate our one employee – our Superintendent. But
primarily we are here as an advocate for students. In my 10 years as a trustee,
I can truly state that each decision we make focuses on students first.
Parents have told
us class size is important. We continue to have one of the best student-teacher
ratios in the area. Staff has told us they need student supports in the
classroom. We continue to fund our Family School Liaison program, with
assistance from our municipal partners. These items are just some of the ways
our board supports students each year at budget time.
Trustees also act
as a bridge between the school, home, and community. We advocate for students,
we engage our parents and staff, and we act with all levels of government to
ensure our community receives the education it deserves.
We receive the
majority of our revenue from the provincial and federal government and have
strict guidelines on how this money is spent. In fact, almost 80 per cent of
our 55 million-dollar budget goes towards employing over 600 staff in our
region. Our Superintendent is in charge of these staff. As Trustees, it is not
our job to meddle in the day-to-day operations at our schools. We can raise
concerns brought forward by students, staff, and parents, but ultimately, it is
the superintendent’s job to evaluate and monitor our school communities. And it
is the board’s job to evaluate the Superintendent annually.
I have mentioned
recently that I am concerned about the elimination of locally-elected school
boards. Our local residents elect school boards, but the provincial government has
started interfering with our role as a board.
For example, in
the last couple of years, school boards across the province have been forced to
revise or replace their existing policies and submit them to the government for
approval on a strict timeline. Our policies are our tools we use to govern. We
have never had to submit them for approval to the government before now. It
makes me wonder what will happen next.
I am also
concerned about the growing disparity between rural and urban boards. School
divisions are funded on a per-student basis. Rural boards are experiencing a
decline in enrolment, as people choose to move to larger centres and sprawling suburbia.
We were pleasantly
surprised when the provincial government recently announced it would now assist
in playground funding for new schools. However, when we read the fine print and
asked why two of our new schools in the division are not eligible for funding,
the answer was, it had to be on a new school site. In small, rural communities
we are usually left with no choice but to build on existing sites due to the
lack of serviceable land available. Again, rural communities are being left
out.
We have a lot of
challenges facing our local board in the coming months and I believe it will
take trustees with experience to face these challenges. I have been a trustee
for 10 years. I started this position when my children were preschoolers – they
are now enrolled in the French Immersion program at Racette Junior High School.
I have always
worked hard and have gone the extra mile to get the work done that needs to be done
on our board. When policy needs to be written or revised, I take my time to
research each item and then present it to the policy committee. When the board
needed to work on its communication to the public, I took the extra time to
write Trustee Reports after each board meeting so that we were all on the same
page. I am proud to say we now have the staff in place to enhance some of our
communications – something I personally advocated for since I was first
elected.
I am actively
engaged on our board, as well as in the community. Again, when a job needs to
be done, I do it. I was instrumental in upgrades to the St. Paul Elementary
playground as a member of its fundraising council for close to five years. I
have been a team manager in soccer, hockey, and baseball. My husband and I have
successfully operated a small business together since 2009.
I am passionate,
organized, efficient with my time, and dedicated to our local community. I am a
vocal advocate for Catholic schools and will continue to stand up for St. Paul
Education. I would be honoured to continue serving you as your Trustee for
Subdivision D.
