“I am passionate about public education, learning, student well-being, and a school system where everyone belongs and can find their own passion and pathway. I am deeply committed to the role and look forward to continuing the work striving towards our goals. I am approachable and truly care about the people who make up our educational community. I encourage folks to reach out to me to ask any questions and learn more about who I am and what is important to me.”

Why do you want to be a school board trustee?

My reasons for wanting to be a trustee have been many and have been varied over the years. However, my main reason and what drives me to continue stepping up has never wavered. My top priority as a trustee is, and has always been, a strong, equitable, and inclusive education system for all. This philosophy applies to all members of the educational community – students, families, employees, volunteers, and community partners. Everyone should be able to come to the Upper Grand and find a place for themselves.

My reasons for wanting to continue in the role of trustee also include the provincial government’s current direction with public education. We have a world-class education system that is free and accessible for all, and their legislations and regulations are gutting that system. Their actions are an attack on democracy and will only lead to a weaker society in the future. One of my oft-repeated phrases is: “An educated society is a strong society”. I’m unsure if I heard it somewhere at some point or if it is just something that I’ve always known in my heart, but it has always resonated with me. The public education system is the backbone of a strong, educated, compassionate, and enlightened society and there are few things in life for me that are more worth fighting for.

What’s your background and experience, and how do you think that’s relevant to the job?

As detailed on my website, I am a long time volunteer in schools, both in the classroom and in leadership roles, I was a member of many board-level committees in my role as the chair of the board-wide Parent Involvement Committee, as well as other volunteer roles in the community. All of these have given me great insight into virtually all aspects of the school board and excellent skills in working with people of varying backgrounds and abilities. It was in these roles that I solidified my communication and people skills. In 2014 I was awarded an Everyday Hero award, the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a volunteer in the Upper Grand, in recognition of my wide-ranging involvement in the system and the impact of my work.

As a trustee, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in provincial-level advocacy as the Upper Grand representative to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association. Within OPSBA I have had many leadership roles including committee member, voting delegate, Board of Directors member, and Regional Vice Chair. I am currently in the role of Regional Chair for Central West and continue to be a member of the Board of Directors. In this role I have had the opportunity to participate in initiatives that directly address provincial issues such as underfunding, special education, and transportation, among others. I have also had the opportunity to, on several occasions, directly advocate for these issues with MPPs at Queen’s Park as well as locally. The skills I have developed in these roles, as well as my ongoing participation, have given me the unique opportunity to address relevant issues on a much greater scale and use my voice to fight for the strong public education system that our students and our society needs.

I am also a Registered Veterinary Technician (although, long “retired”) and my education and work experience in the field have given me excellent transferrable skills that have proven extremely useful in my time as a trustee. The first of which is the strong ability to communicate well with others, particularly in a difficult or emotionally tense situation. In my work I was known as a kind and compassionate person with strong listening skills. I also have a strong ability to prioritize needs while not losing track of other less urgent issues. I am also not afraid of complex and challenging situations – I approach them in a calm manner, without fear.

I also have relevant experience as a parent of students with special education needs. I have lived through navigating a system that can be challenging at times, and I have spent my time as a trustee working to smooth pathways and support families and students.

How do you see your role as a trustee? What are your main responsibilities?

To start with, here are some relevant sections from the Education Act that outline what the role of the trustee is, as per legislation:

58.5 (1) Every district school board is a corporation and has all the powers and shall perform all the duties that are conferred or imposed on it under this or any other Act.  1997, c. 31, s. 32.

Board responsibility for student achievement and effective stewardship of resources

169.1 (1) Every board shall,

(a)  promote student achievement and well-being;

(a.1)  promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils, including pupils of any race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability;

(a.2)  promote the prevention of bullying;

(b)  ensure effective stewardship of the board’s resources;

(c)  deliver effective and appropriate education programs to its pupils;

(d)  develop and maintain policies and organizational structures that,

(i)  promote the goals referred to in clauses (a) to (c), and

(ii)  encourage pupils to pursue their educational goals;

(e)  monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of policies developed by the board under clause (d) in achieving the board’s goals and the efficiency of the implementation of those policies;

(f)  develop a multi-year plan aimed at achieving the goals referred to in clauses (a) to (c);

(g)  annually review the plan referred to in clause (f) with the board’s director of education or the supervisory officer acting as the board’s director of education; and

(h)  monitor and evaluate the performance of the board’s director of education, or the supervisory officer acting as the board’s director of education, in meeting,

(i)  his or her duties under this Act or any policy, guideline or regulation made under this Act, including duties under the plan referred to in clause (f), and

(ii)  any other duties assigned by the board.  2009, c. 25, s. 15; 2012, c. 5, s. 3 (1).

Duties of board members

218.1 A member of a board shall,

(a)  carry out his or her responsibilities in a manner that assists the board in fulfilling its duties under this Act, the regulations and the guidelines issued under this Act, including but not limited to the board’s duties under section 169.1;

(b)  attend and participate in meetings of the board, including meetings of board committees of which he or she is a member;

(c)  consult with parents, students and supporters of the board on the board’s multi-year plan under clause 169.1 (1) (f);

(d)  bring concerns of parents, students and supporters of the board to the attention of the board;

(e)  uphold the implementation of any board resolution after it is passed by the board;

(f)  entrust the day to day management of the board to its staff through the board’s director of education;

(g)  maintain focus on student achievement and well-being; and

(h)  comply with the board’s code of conduct.  2009, c. 25, s. 25.

All of that is of course, very dry but is very clear on the role of the trustee. As trustees we do not have any individual powers. We act as a Board and all decisions become the responsibility of the Board, not of any one individual. As individuals we are expected to undertake activities which support the work of the Board, be diligent in our preparation and attendance, act as a connection between the broader community, including students and families, and the Board, and support decisions made by the Board.

In reality, what that looks like is: hiring of the CEO/Director of Education and monitoring of their performance, developing a Multi-Year Plan and overseeing its implementation through the CEO/Director, developing and monitoring all policies including, but not limited to, those which address school climate, bullying, student achievement, etc., and overseeing and monitoring the budget and finances.  It also includes attending school and board events when invited, participating in committees that include families and community stakeholders, acting as a resource for families and community members who reach out looking for assistance with issues, and supporting parent and family involvement in their students’ education.

With the changes to the Education Act as a result of the passage of Bill 101, the role of the trustee has changed and is continuing to change. The Ministry of Education is still in the process of developing the regulations that relate to the changes. As a result, I write all of the above with a caveat that it is what is *currently* the role of the trustee but it may change.

For me personally, my greatest joy as a trustee is connecting with families and community members and helping them to be connected and included within the system. I always say that as an individual trustee I cannot fix anyone’s problem, but I have a responsibility to help them find who can.

Like many governments and boards, school trustees are facing a budget crunch. Without an increase in provincial funding, how do propose to ensure that your board balances student needs with fiscal prudence?

This is a complex issue with no easy answer. It is also a difficult one to answer without knowing what the final regulations will be regarding trustee involvement with the development and approval of the board budget. As it stands now, trustees are responsible for setting the guiding principles regarding the budget, facilitating input from the educational community through opportunities such as presentations to the Parent Involvement Committee and the Special Education Advisory Committee, and approving the final draft of the budget prior to submission to the Ministry for the approval of the Minister. It is unknown whether these will all still be the responsibility of the Board of Trustees once all the regulations are finalized so it is impossible to give a definitive answer.

Regarding funding, in the current state, the levels of funding are completely unsustainable. Boards across the province have drained their surpluses in order to make up for shortfalls, as well as to support the system during the pandemic, and it has finally hit the tipping point for almost all of them. The UGDSB has been able to stay afloat for a lot longer than others due to our fiscal prudence over the course of many years which had led to a healthy surplus and thus, the ability to retain staffing levels while most other boards were handing out large numbers of layoff notices. As seen this year, some extremely difficult decisions needed to be made by our staff in order to have a balanced budget. The Board of Trustees do not make those decisions, as per the Education Act which states that we are expected to entrust the day to day operations to staff, however, we are charged with ensuring effective stewardship of the board’s resources. The balance between fiscal prudence and student needs was a near impossible task this year. And going forward, without dramatic increases in funding and increases that are actually in line with inflation rather than being artificially increased due to the changing value of a dollar, public education in Ontario is significant trouble. As a trustee, and particularly in my leadership role with the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, I am committed to intense advocacy for appropriate funding for all school boards.

How will you support teachers and education workers as they begin contract negotiations this fall? How will you support parents concerned about labour disruption?

I am and always have been supportive of the right of teachers and education workers to receive fair compensation in recognition of the work they do. As the daughter of a longtime, proud member of Ironworkers Local 721 and as a member of CUPE myself during a job I held in my early twenties, I have a deep understanding and appreciation for the work of union and federation members. I have always recognized the right of workers to negotiate with their employers and the Crown (as applicable) in a fair and transparent manner.

The labour negotiation scenario has changed for this round of bargaining. Previously, the Ontario Public School Boards Association participated in the Central negotiations as the representative of the employer. While trustees didn’t participate in the actual negotiation process – that was undertaken by OPSBA staff with extensive training and skills in negotiation – we did provide input into the high level goals of the process and what we felt should be negotiated centrally vs. locally. We also had the responsibility of approving the final contracts on behalf of the employers. However, this has changed with the passing of Bill 101 and provincial control has increased dramatically. My role in contract negotiations as a member of the UGDSB Board of Trustees or the OPSBA Board of Directors has been eliminated. Trustees, despite still retaining the role of employer, no longer have any input or participation in any level of contract negotiations. As such, our ability to directly support teachers and education workers by advocating for contracts that are satisfactory to both sides is gone. All we have left is what we can do in the aftermath to try to make the best of what has been negotiated.

Parents and families who are concerned about labour disruption are free to reach out to me or any other trustee for guidance. We can help direct their concerns to the relevant parties, whether it is the Ministry of Education, the school board senior staff, or the unions.

Guelph is a rapidly growing town, how will you ensure that the school system is able to grow and accommodate the new students and the changing demographics?

Guelph is most certainly growing rapidly and will continue to do so due to various provincial mandates to hit targets as well as having the University of Guelph, numerous governmental ministries and related agencies, as well as large corporations headquartered here.

Trustees play a vital role in ensuring that the school system is able to grow and accommodate the new students and changing demographics. There are a number of roles trustees may play including developing and overseeing related policies, approving budget items related to growth, advocating to the Ministry of Education for new school builds and additions, and listening to the needs of the system and bringing those to the board table.

An example of this is the newly opened Two Rivers Secondary School. When I was a new trustee back in 2014, I was part of the group that recommended the purchase of the land on which the school is located. It was identified that the population was increasing and was becoming more concentrated in the south end of Guelph and would require an additional high school to accommodate the new students. Throughout the ensuing years I have been part of many committees that have worked towards obtaining approval for the build, obtaining funding from the Ministry, and overseeing the construction and eventual opening a few weeks ago.

While the role of trustee may be changing, at the heart of it will still be the responsibility to ensure that the system can accommodate all students and, despite the length of time it may take, continue to advocate on behalf of the needs of the Upper Grand.

Absenteeism seems to be a growing problem in Ontario high schools, what are the ways that you can support teachers and administrators to assure that students are getting the proper instruction?

Absenteeism is another complex issue with no easy answer. And there are two types of absenteeism that are of concern in school boards. These are employee absences and student absences.

For employee absence I recognize that this creates financial cost for the system. However, I honour the right of employees to be able to use the time they need to tend to themselves and their families. I also recognize that this is a difficult time for our society. Life is getting harder for almost everybody. The way the world works has changed fundamentally in the past five years.

I know that I cannot directly resolve the issue of employee absences. It is my intention, though, to continue to work through the tools available to me. For example, policy development and advocacy to the government to improve circumstances that contribute to absence issues, discovering how best to address needs employees may have that didn’t exist in the past due to post-pandemic changes in the world, and seeking to understand where the difficulties lie. In my role as a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Public School Boards Association I have a “larger” voice and I use that voice to advocate directly with the government, including meeting with MPPs at Queen’s Park. It is my intention to continue that work and to speak up at a provincial level on behalf of all in our system.

For student absences I actually see a lot of similar roots to employee absences. Students currently in high school experienced a very significant disruption, the pandemic, to their education at a critical time in their development. While it may seem like that is long in the past, we are still seeing the aftermath showing up in increased mental health issues, increased dysregulation, and decreased coping skills. We are also seeing the aftermath of disrupted learning and students who are still struggling to catch up. There are also factors such as family circumstances and decreased access to services that are contributing to the student absence issue.

While I do agree that students and teachers being in the classroom everyday learning and developing strong relationships are the key to success for most, I also recognize that mandating that attendance will not necessarily address the underlying issues. Until we can get to the root causes, we will struggle to improve the situation. A stated above, it is my intention to work hard to support the system and aid in the discovery of those causes, as well as advocating for funding and/or innovative solutions that address the causes.

School safety is a big concern, from behavioural issues to school resource officers. How can schools be safe places for learning while also not making it feel like kids are learning in a security state?

As a past member of the UGDSB Joint Health and Safety Committee I spent four years learning from the worker members regarding school safety and behavioural issues. I learnt that the significant gap in funding for special education from the Ministry has played a pivotal role in the issues that we are seeing today. Without the funding to hire adequate staff in the various roles that support students with behavioural issues, the existing staff are expected to do more with less and it is leading to burnout. Providing protective equipment for staff, having protocols in place to manage issues, and, at times, excluding students from school, are all measures that help but don’t resolve the issue.

Bullying is another significant safety issue that has roots in many places including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. The UGDSB recently commissioned an independent Human Rights Review and is in the process of developing a Human Rights policy. There is significant work to be done in the area, as detailed in the report, and as a trustee I have been and continue to be deeply committed to addressing this to create a school system where everyone is welcome and everyone is safe and cared for.

With regards to school resource officers, this is something that has been mandated by the Ministry of Education and is out of the control of the Board of Trustees. In the past, as the Chair of the Board, I brought the issue of the removal of SROs to the Board table in response to feedback and concerns from students, families, and community stakeholders. Our Board created an ad hoc committee to review all aspects of police presence in our schools and to bring recommendations to the trustees for consideration. After an extensive process including review of relevant research, consultation with students, families, and staff, as well as conversations with local police services, the recommendation was brought forward to eliminate the School Resource Officer program as well as creating a more cohesive and standardized approach to other times of police presence in schools such as elementary presentations, safety patrols, cyber safety etc.

In the ensuing years, our board staff have worked closely with our local police services developing strong guidelines around police in schools as well as strong relationships. It will be up to the local police services to decide how they would like to proceed and I am hopeful that those relationships we have built will guide any decisions that are made and actions going forward.

So, the question is, despite all of the above, how do we find the balance between safety and not feeling like a security state? In the short term, we must continue with reactive measures to protect the people involved until the effects of long term measures come to fruition.

In the long term, a significant increase in funding for special education is required. In the words of Dr. Ross Greene: “Kids do well, if they can”. This philosophy behind this is that no child truly wants to misbehave. Behavioural issues are rooted in gaps in skills, needs not being met, or stressors. With an increase in funding to appropriate levels, increased testing and identification can occur, appropriate types and numbers of staff members can be employed, and services can be provided. As a trustee I will continue the work that I have been doing at the provincial level to advocate for appropriate levels of funding and to communicate the urgency of this issue. Our kids can’t wait for years on a list until they *maybe* get a small amount of services.

We also need to base all of our work on honouring Human Rights and having the expectation that all those who are part of the Upper Grand community does the same.

If you get elected to be a trustee, and considering the increase in provincial influence, do you think you will serve a full four year term?

Absolutely. I have been a trustee for 12 years through some previous very difficult times, including being the Chair of the Board for the first two years of the pandemic. My response during those times and my response now is to continue working hard to support the students, families, staff, and community members of the Upper Grand DSB. I am not one to give up easily on anything and I wouldn’t dream of not fulfilling my commitment just because things got challenging. I know that our students and staff don’t have that option and walking away would make me feel like I’ve let them down. Obviously, there may be reasons such as health concerns or other important things that make the decision for me. However, I would never choose to leave midterm “just because”.

Let’s say I don’t have kids, and thus no proverbial “skin in the game” when it comes to my local school, why should I care about who’s my school board trustee?

You should care about who is your school board trustee because, as I stated at the beginning of this survey, the public education system is the backbone of a fair and just society. It is the cradle of a strong democracy. It is where all people can find themselves and belong. The reality is, though, that we haven’t yet achieved the ideal that I have just stated and I am committed to continuing the work. Without a strong public education system, we lose a society that is educated and able to think for themselves. We lose the ability for students of all backgrounds to be able to dream big and achieve their goals. You should care about who is your school board trustees because school board trustees are defending all of these things and ensuring that local voice remains influential in our education system.

Is there anything else you want to tell voters as they make their decision?

I am passionate about public education, learning, student well-being, and a school system where everyone belongs and can find their own passion and pathway. I am deeply committed to the role and look forward to continuing the work striving towards our goals. I am approachable and truly care about the people who make up our educational community. I encourage folks to reach out to me to ask any questions and learn more about who I am and what is important to me.