Parents first

The first educators

Parents are the first educators of their children, in faith and in well-being.

I will support a board policy that says so explicitly, that commits staff to open and continuous communication with the home, and that respects the board's legal obligations in Ontario. I will be straightforward: I will not commit in advance to the wording of a policy I have not read. I will commit to having it debated in open session, not settled behind closed doors.

Criteria parents can read

I will ask that the selection criteria be written down, published, and available to parents, with a clear procedure that lets a parent request a review of a resource.

A parent should be able to request a review of a title through a known procedure, with a reasoned answer and a reasonable deadline. Decisions should not be made case by case, under pressure.

Budgets families can read

Families should be able to see where the money goes and what it produces, in plain terms.

I would examine rigorously any spending with no measurable effect on student success, and I would ask for clear data before every decision, published so families can read it too.

A plan shared with the family

Make the Individual Education Plan (IEP) a genuine tool shared with the family: clear goals, regular meetings, and a parent who knows whom to contact when the plan is not being followed.

Meeting families

If elected, I would keep doing it:

holding meetings at times working families can manage: evenings, weekends or online, in French and in English;

People who do not take part in consultations rarely have little to say. More often they have less time, less information, or the sense that no one is listening. It is up to the trustee to take the first step.