Margot
Swinburnson
The most immediate issue facing this school district is the need to replace or upgrade existing buildings to meet the demands of our increasing school population. We need to prepare for an influx of new students – 300/year for the district - by either upgrading our schools or building new ones. All of this is not an overnight fix, and will take good data, community consultation, a sustained vision and ongoing provincial lobbying.
Underfunding has always been a constant pressure. Recently, educational funding has become short term; arriving as one-time targeted grants that have no sustainability. That is not the way we want our educational tax dollars spent. We must thoughtfully build on the previous educational successes - not Mickey Mouse our way into the next decade of education. This is an urgent issue that affects all aspects of our children’s educational success-from buildings to programs to staffing.
Since I have been a trustee, we have begun to look ahead and plan for our future needs based on good analysis and data. We have some of the best teachers and programs in the province and country. I am confident that we can surmount and rise above the challenging times ahead. I look forward to working with our community, always keeping the educational needs of our children in mind.